Recent Advances in Pharmacotherapy of Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis is a form of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that produces inflammation and ulcers along the inside of the colon, which can interfere with the normal function of the colon. The disease typically starts to manifest in patients as young adults. Ulcerative colitis is an intermittent disease with periods of exacerbated symptoms, or flares, and periods that are relatively symptom-free. According to the Cohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, several millions people suffer from ulcerative colitis worldwide. Current therapeutic approaches for ulcerative colitis are partially successful despites advances in GIT research. A significant proportion of patients with ulcerative colitis undergo colectomy. Nearly 50% patients do not achieve sustained remission, leading to impairment of physical and mental health, social life, employment issues and sexual activity. Budesonide is an oral, extended release synthetic corticosteroid that is recently approved for UC. Enteric-coated budesonide formulations resist gastric-acid degradation, delivering active drug to the small intestine and proximal colon. Budesonide is specifically indicated for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. Budesonide has a high first-pass metabolism with minimal systemic absorption. This review describes recent advances in the pharmacotherapy of ulcerative colitis and outlines why future studies targeting sustained suppression of inflammation could have an enormous impact on the natural course of the disease. Ulcerative colitis needs intense therapy and it should be maintained until sustained remission and mucosal healing has been reached.

Mesoporous silica microparticles gated with a bulky azo derivative for the controlled release of dyes/drugs in colon

“…Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine with alternate periods of relapse and remission [1,2]. Typical clinical symptoms of IBD are abdominal pain, diarrhoea, tenesmus and rectal bleeding, caused by ulcerative proctitis or proctosigmoiditis [3]. IBD is so widespread that it is believed that up to 1% of the population can be affected.…”