Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
13:17
The Mesenteric Lymph Duct Cannulated Rat Model: Application to the Assessment of Intestinal Lymphatic Drug Transport
Published on: March 6, 2015
Intestinal lymphatic transport for drug delivery
Jaime A Yáñez1, Stephen W J Wang, Ian W Knemeyer
1Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Metabolism, Schering-Plough Research Institute, 2015 Galloping Hill Rd., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA. jaime.yanez@alconlabs.com
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
|June 22, 2011
Summary
Oral drug delivery can utilize intestinal lymphatic transport, bypassing the liver to reduce metabolism. This pathway, involving lipid-associated drugs and specialized lipoproteins, offers novel therapeutic and drug delivery system potential.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Gastroenterology
- Drug Delivery
Background:
- Intestinal lymphatic transport is a key pathway for absorbing lipids and lipophilic drugs.
- Drugs absorbed via lymphatics associate with lipoproteins and enter lymphatic circulation, bypassing the liver.
- This route avoids first-pass metabolism, offering potential for enhanced drug exposure and novel therapeutics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the physiological mechanisms of intestinal lymphatic drug transport.
- To explore experimental models for studying lymphatic drug transport.
- To discuss the design of drug delivery systems for enhancing lymphatic transport.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of physiological lymphatic transport, enterocyte metabolism, and drug-lipid interactions.
- Discussion of in vivo, in vitro, and in silico experimental models.
- Analysis of lipid- and prodrug-based delivery system strategies.
Main Results:
- Lymphatic transport provides an alternative absorption route, reducing hepatic first-pass metabolism.
- Drug association with lipoproteins and enterocytes is crucial for lymphatic uptake.
- Lipid-based formulations can be designed to leverage this pathway.
Conclusions:
- Intestinal lymphatic transport represents a significant, yet underutilized, pathway for oral drug delivery.
- Understanding lymphatic transport mechanisms is key to developing advanced drug delivery systems.
- This pathway holds promise for improving the efficacy and safety of lipophilic drugs.
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This one-way system allows fluids, solutes, and even pathogens to enter but prevents their return to the intercellular spaces.
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