Non-invasive systemic drug delivery through mucosal routes

Abstract

Science of drug delivery has achieved tremendous milestones in the last few decades. Emergence of novel drug delivery techniques and the most popular nanotechnology directed the drug delivery to another level. Without any doubt, present technology holds the proficiency to approach even the intercellular targets. Between all these success auras, there lies wads of giant challenges. One such challenge is delivering the molecule directly to the blood stream. Parenteral route is considered as the most effective route for delivering active pharmaceutical substances, but is associated with major disadvantages of painful drug delivery. Modern drug delivery suggests several approaches to outstrip this painful phenomenon. In the present article, we represent a new systematic vision to understand the ability and desirability of mucosal sites to achieve painless drug delivery. Human mucosa presents supreme proximity to the blood circulation that one can even observe with naked eye. Advances in drug delivery provide numerous approaches to exploit the mucosa for systemic reach. However, the revolutionary success is still unapproachable, with an understandable reason of associated complexities and challenges. This manuscript summarizes the significance of each mucosal site, on the basis of anatomical-physiological grounds. Particular attention is given to rationalize the selection of disease and a suitable drug delivery approach for its treatment.

Composite Thermoresponsive Hydrogel with Auranofin‐Loaded Nanoparticles for Topical Treatment of Vaginal Trichomonad Infection

“…Several advanced formulations have been proposed for topical treatment in the urogenital tract and at other mucosal sites . Among those, hybrid systems that combine multiple constituents and functionalities are particularly attractive, because they can combine advantages intrinsic to each constituent for synergy.…”

Polymer–Lipid Pharmaceutical Nanocarriers: Innovations by New Formulations and Production Technologies

“…It should be noted that, in addition to the oral and systemic traditional pathways, LPNs can be administered by alternative routes such as ocular, pulmonary, rectal, nasal, buccal, sublingual, and transdermal routes, expanding their fields of application and patient compliance [50][51][52]. By way of example, buccal adhesive drug delivery systems, exploiting polymers as the adhesive component (i.e., chitosan and polyacrylates), have been studied for the production of water-soluble bioadhesive formulations, with a strong affinity for mucosal membranes [53].…”

Transmucosal drug administration as an alternative route in palliative and end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Transmucosal drug administration is an attractive alternative to oral and parenteral routes of administration, due to its non-invasive nature, and offering the possibility of self-administration, or administration by lay caregivers. It can reduce or completely bypass first-pass metabolism, avoid gastrointestinal degradation and provide rapid onset of action [ [12] , [13] , [14] ]. However, not all the drugs can cross the mucosal epithelium effectively.…”