pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease, are becoming a growing global problem due to the limitations of current treatments, which fail to address the needs of patients effectively. UC is characterized by the widespread inflammation of the mucosal linin...

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Main Authors: Yana Gvozdeva, Radiana Staynova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/2/226
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author Yana Gvozdeva
Radiana Staynova
author_facet Yana Gvozdeva
Radiana Staynova
author_sort Yana Gvozdeva
collection DOAJ
description Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease, are becoming a growing global problem due to the limitations of current treatments, which fail to address the needs of patients effectively. UC is characterized by the widespread inflammation of the mucosal lining, affecting both the rectum and the entire length of the colon. Over the past forty years, traditional treatments for IBDs have primarily relied on anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressive medications. Treatment could be more effective if drugs could be specifically targeted to act directly on the colon. Conventional drug delivery systems for IBDs encounter numerous challenges on their way to the colon, such as physiological barriers and disease severity. To address these issues, pH-dependent carriers have emerged as a promising advancement, offering a more effective and tolerable treatment for UC. These carriers enable localized, targeted action, reducing side effects and preventing the premature clearance of drugs from inflamed colon tissues. pH-responsive systems are a leading approach for targeted drug release in colitis treatment as they take advantage of the varying pH levels throughout the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). By incorporating pH-sensitive polymers, they ensure drug protection and controlled release in the lower GIT. This review will discuss the advantages and limitations of pH-dependent drug delivery systems for colon-targeted drug delivery.
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spelling doaj-art-ab798878e5c349eea77e8ab9ba4f71e12025-08-20T02:44:50ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232025-02-0117222610.3390/pharmaceutics17020226pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis TreatmentYana Gvozdeva0Radiana Staynova1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Organisation and Economics of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaInflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease, are becoming a growing global problem due to the limitations of current treatments, which fail to address the needs of patients effectively. UC is characterized by the widespread inflammation of the mucosal lining, affecting both the rectum and the entire length of the colon. Over the past forty years, traditional treatments for IBDs have primarily relied on anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressive medications. Treatment could be more effective if drugs could be specifically targeted to act directly on the colon. Conventional drug delivery systems for IBDs encounter numerous challenges on their way to the colon, such as physiological barriers and disease severity. To address these issues, pH-dependent carriers have emerged as a promising advancement, offering a more effective and tolerable treatment for UC. These carriers enable localized, targeted action, reducing side effects and preventing the premature clearance of drugs from inflamed colon tissues. pH-responsive systems are a leading approach for targeted drug release in colitis treatment as they take advantage of the varying pH levels throughout the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). By incorporating pH-sensitive polymers, they ensure drug protection and controlled release in the lower GIT. This review will discuss the advantages and limitations of pH-dependent drug delivery systems for colon-targeted drug delivery.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/2/226ulcerative colitispH-dependent drug delivery systemspH-responsive polymerspH-sensitive carriercolon-targeted drug delivery
spellingShingle Yana Gvozdeva
Radiana Staynova
pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
Pharmaceutics
ulcerative colitis
pH-dependent drug delivery systems
pH-responsive polymers
pH-sensitive carrier
colon-targeted drug delivery
title pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
title_full pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
title_fullStr pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
title_full_unstemmed pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
title_short pH-Dependent Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment
title_sort ph dependent drug delivery systems for ulcerative colitis treatment
topic ulcerative colitis
pH-dependent drug delivery systems
pH-responsive polymers
pH-sensitive carrier
colon-targeted drug delivery
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/2/226
work_keys_str_mv AT yanagvozdeva phdependentdrugdeliverysystemsforulcerativecolitistreatment
AT radianastaynova phdependentdrugdeliverysystemsforulcerativecolitistreatment