Colon-Targeted Drug Delivery Systems Recent Advances in pH-Sensitive, Microbial and Time-Dependent Delivery Approaches
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64882/ijrt.v12.i4.1798Keywords:
multi-trigger systems, responsive polymers, polysaccharides, colon-specific drug delivery, time-dependent delivery, microbial-responsive delivery, pH-sensitive systems, colon-targeted drug deliveryAbstract
Colon-targeted drug delivery systems have gained considerable attention as an effective approach for achieving site-specific drug release in the large intestine while reducing premature drug liberation and unnecessary systemic exposure. The physiological basis of colonic targeting, including gastrointestinal pH, transit time, luminal conditions and microbial activity, is considered in relation to formulation performance. pH-sensitive systems employing enteric polymers, hydrogels and multilayer coatings provide protection during upper gastrointestinal transit and facilitate drug release under colonic pH conditions. Microbial-responsive systems utilise bacterial enzymes and fermentation of natural or modified polysaccharides to achieve biologically triggered drug release. Time-dependent systems employ programmed lag periods based on gastrointestinal transit, while emerging multi-trigger systems combine pH, microbial and temporal mechanisms to improve targeting reliability. The reviewed literature indicates that each approach possesses specific advantages but is also affected by physiological variability, formulation complexity and challenges associated with reproducibility and clinical translation. Increasing research attention is therefore being directed towards hybrid polymeric, particulate and multi-responsive delivery platforms. Overall, the integration of advanced biomaterials with multiple physiological triggers represents a promising direction for developing more precise and reliable colon-targeted drug delivery systems.
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