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The transit of dosage forms through the colon
1Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow G4 0NR, Scotland, UK. c.g.wilson@strath.ac.uk
International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|June 26, 2010
Summary
Understanding colon transit is crucial for oral drug delivery. This review details how clinical assessments, like gamma scintigraphy, reveal how dosage form size and shape impact drug release in the colon.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Gastroenterology
- Drug Delivery
Background:
- Colonic transit time is vital for oral controlled-release dosage forms.
- Clinical methods for assessing gut transit have evolved from X-ray contrast to gamma scintigraphy.
- Gamma scintigraphy offers a lower radiation burden for colon function measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development of colon transit measurements.
- To explore how clinical assessment designs aid in understanding factors influencing colon transit.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical and current clinical methods for measuring colonic transit.
- Analysis of gamma scintigraphy's application in pharmaceutical sciences.
- Examination of studies correlating dosage form characteristics with colonic transit.
Main Results:
- Gamma scintigraphy enables separate labeling of meals and dosage forms for precise dispersion measurement.
- Pharmaceutical sciences utilize these methods to understand drug release and absorption.
- The relationship between blood concentrations and transit of various dosage sizes is increasingly understood.
Conclusions:
- Colon transit measurement techniques have advanced significantly.
- Clinical assessment designs are key to elucidating the influence of dosage form size and shape on colonic transit.
- Improved understanding of colon transit enhances the design of oral controlled-release systems.
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