Nanotechnology: A Successful Approach to Improve Oral Bioavailability of Phytochemicals.

Nanotechnology: A Successful Approach to Improve Oral Bioavailability of Phytochemicals. Recent Pat Drug Deliv Formul. 2015 Jun 11; Authors: Shakeri A, Sahebkar A Abstract Phytochemicals have gained significant recognition for their potential therapeutic uses against a variety of human diseases. However, the poor water solubility, limited intestinal absorption and low water stability of phytochemicals generally prevent from achieving a high oral bioavailability and even detectable plasma levels of the parent compound. Dose escalation is not always a solution to address limited oral bioavailability, and may increase the risk of adverse events, most frequently in the gastrointestinal system [1]. Low water solubility is a common reason for the limited bioavailability of drug candidates because passing through the unstirred aqueous layer on the surface of the intestinal epithelium is a pre-requisite for the intestinal absorption of compounds. It has been estimated that over 40 % of the drugs being identified through combinatorial screening programs are poorly soluble in water [2]. Therefore, formulation improvement into highly stable, water-soluble and orally bioavailable forms is regarded as a prerequisite for the clinical application of phytochemicals. Nanotechnology has emerged as an efficient tool to address the problems regarding solubility, stability and oral bioavailability of phytochemicals [3]. Several nano-sized delivery system...
Source: Recent Patents on Drug Delivery and Formulation - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Recent Pat Drug Deliv Formul Source Type: research