Editorial [ Natural Products and Colon Drug Delivery ]

Colon-targeted delivery of natural products has recently gained importance in addressing specific needs in the therapy of colon-based diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and cancer. For the treatment or chemoprevention of these pathologies many drugs and chemopreventive agents were introduced and are currently at disposition. Many approaches have been attempted for the development of colon-specific delivery systems, but many failed in the past. Recent research in the exploitation of the metabolic activity and the colonic microenvironment in the lower gastrointestinal tract has attained great value in the design of novel colon-targeted delivery systems based on natural products. The most part of orally administered drugs are absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tracts (e.g. stomach and small intestine) leading to several side effects. Colon targeting is much attractive for delivery on natural products and colonic delivery of this specific drugs may also be useful when intentional delayed drug absorption is required such as asthma, gastric ulcer or arthritis….