Colon targeting with bacteria-sensitive films adapted to the disease state

Abstract The aim of this study was to identify novel polymeric films allowing for the site-specific delivery of drugs to the colon of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases. Ethylcellulose was blended with different types of bacteria-sensitive starch derivatives. The water uptake and dry mass loss kinetics of the systems were monitored upon exposure to media simulating the contents of the stomach, small intestine and colon (including fresh fecal samples from Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis patients). Importantly, ethylcellulose:Nutriose FB 06 and ethylcellulose:Peas starch N-735 films showed highly promising water uptake and dry mass loss kinetics in all the investigated media, indicating their potential to minimize premature drug release in the upper gastro-intestinal tract, and allowing for controlled release once the colon is reached. This can be attributed to the fact that the starch derivatives serve as substrates for the enzymes, which are secreted by the bacteria present in the colon of inflammatory bowel disease patients. Thus, the identified new polymeric films are adapted to the pathophysiological conditions in the gastro-intestinal tract in the disease state. Furthermore, Nutriose is known to provide pre-biotic effects, which can be of great benefit for these patients.