# Formulation approaches for colon-specific drug delivery: conventional to nanocarrier systems

**Authors:** Ashish Sriram Mishra, Bhavna Ghosh, Sivakumar Ponnurengam Malliappan, Gouranga Dutta, Manimaran Vasanthan

PMC · DOI: 10.1039/d5ra05194k · RSC Advances · 2026-02-23

## TL;DR

This paper reviews methods for delivering drugs specifically to the colon to treat diseases like IBD and colorectal cancer, aiming to improve treatment effectiveness and reduce side effects.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of both conventional and advanced strategies for colon-specific drug delivery, emphasizing the role of nanotechnology and natural polysaccharides.

## Key findings

- Colon-targeted drug delivery reduces systemic side effects and improves patient compliance.
- Nanotechnology and natural polysaccharides offer promising solutions to overcome physiological barriers in the colon.
- Comparative analysis of delivery strategies can guide the development of more effective formulations.

## Abstract

The development of colon-targeted drug delivery systems (CDDS) has gained increasing attention due to their potential to improve therapeutic outcomes for diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colorectal cancer, and other colonic disorders. Targeted delivery to the colon offers the advantages of site-specific action, reduced systemic side effects, and improved patient compliance. However, several physiological barriers, such as variable pH, microbial metabolism, enzymatic degradation, and transit time, pose significant formulation challenges. This review provides a comprehensive overview of conventional and advanced formulation strategies for colon-targeted drug delivery. Various approaches, including pH-responsive systems, time-dependent delivery, microbially triggered systems, prodrug strategies, pressure-controlled devices, and nanotechnology-based delivery platforms, are critically discussed. Additionally, the emerging role of natural polysaccharide-based systems and innovative hybrid formulations is highlighted. Comparative analysis of different strategies is presented to guide future formulation design. Advancements in nanotechnology and biomaterials offer promising opportunities to overcome existing challenges and enable precise and efficient colon-targeted drug delivery. Further research is warranted to translate these innovative systems into clinically viable therapies with improved efficacy and patient outcomes.

Colon-targeted drug delivery enables site-specific therapy for colonic disorders with reduced systemic effects. This review highlights conventional and advanced strategies, including stimulus-responsive, polysaccharide-based, and nanocarrier systems.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** inflammatory bowel disease (MONDO:0005265), irritable bowel syndrome (MONDO:0005052), colorectal cancer (MONDO:0005575)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** PLXNA2 (plexin A2) [NCBI Gene 5362] {aka OCT, PLXN2}, Sphk1 (sphingosine kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 20698] {aka 1110006G24Rik, Sk1, Spk1}, Il6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 16193] {aka Il-6}, Il1 (interleukin 1 complex) [NCBI Gene 111343] {aka Il-1}, KITLG (KIT ligand) [NCBI Gene 4254] {aka DCUA, DFNA69, FPH2, FPHH, KL-1, Kitl}, PGP (phosphoglycolate phosphatase) [NCBI Gene 283871] {aka AUM, G3PP, PGPase}, NQO1 (NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1) [NCBI Gene 1728] {aka DHQU, DIA4, DTD, NMOR1, NMORI, QR1}, Nqo1 (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase, quinone 1) [NCBI Gene 18104] {aka Dia4, Dtd, Nmo-1, Nmo1, Nmor1, Ox-1}, Fgf7 (fibroblast growth factor 7) [NCBI Gene 14178] {aka Fgf5b, Kgf}, NPPB (natriuretic peptide B) [NCBI Gene 4879] {aka BNP, Iso-ANP}, OAT (ornithine aminotransferase) [NCBI Gene 4942] {aka GACR, HOGA, OATASE, OKT}, Cat (catalase) [NCBI Gene 12359] {aka 2210418N07, Cas-1, Cas1, Cs-1}, ABCC2 (ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 2) [NCBI Gene 1244] {aka ABC30, CMOAT, DJS, MRP2, cMRP}, Tlr4 (toll-like receptor 4) [NCBI Gene 21898] {aka Lps, Ly87, Ran/M1, Rasl2-8}, ABCB1 (ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1) [NCBI Gene 5243] {aka ABC20, CD243, CLCS, ENPAT, GP170, MDR1}, Kitl (kit ligand) [NCBI Gene 17311] {aka Clo, Con, Gb, Kitlg, Mgf, SCF}, Tnf (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 21926] {aka DIF, TNF-a, TNF-alpha, TNFSF2, TNFalpha, Tnfa}
- **Diseases:** diarrhea (MESH:D003967), microbial infections (MESH:D015163), CDDS (MESH:D003110), hyperthermia (MESH:D005334), metabolic disorders (MESH:D008659), PD (MESH:D010300), pain (MESH:D010146), morning stiffness (MESH:D048968), neurodegenerative disorders (MESH:D019636), Inflammation (MESH:D007249), gastrointestinal problems (MESH:D012817), edema (MESH:D004487), gut dysbiosis (MESH:D064806), Cancer (MESH:D009369), heart disease (MESH:D006331), allergic reactions (MESH:D004342), carcinoid syndrome (MESH:D002276), IBD (MESH:D015212), IBS (MESH:D043183), infectious colitis (MESH:D003141), Colon illnesses (MESH:D003108), overdose (MESH:D062787), UC (MESH:D003093), intestinal diseases (MESH:D007410), CRC (MESH:D015179), carcinogenic (MESH:D011230), rheumatoid arthritis (MESH:D001172), Clostridium difficile infection (MESH:D003015), Ulcer (MESH:D014456), cytotoxic (MESH:D064420), gastrointestinal ailments (MESH:D005767), colitis (MESH:D003092), CD (MESH:D003424), infection (MESH:D007239), cardiovascular disease (MESH:D002318)
- **Chemicals:** EGDMA (MESH:C004919), catechin (MESH:D002392), ketorolac tromethamine (MESH:D020911), Lactulose (MESH:D007792), carbodiimide (MESH:D002234), carboxymethyl starch (MESH:C034848), M2 (MESH:C034584), catechol (MESH:C034221), Paeoniflorin (MESH:C015423), Apt (MESH:C071989), methylprednisolone (MESH:D008775), luminal (MESH:D010634), diclofenac (MESH:D004008), pHEMA (MESH:D011102), P2 (MESH:C020845), MTX (MESH:D008727), cerium oxide (MESH:C030583), shellac (MESH:C003934), poly (methacrylic acid) (MESH:C030613), Zinc oxide (MESH:D015034), Water (MESH:D014867), phospholipids (MESH:D010743), 5-FU (MESH:D005472), Eudragit RLPO (MESH:C496966), galactose (MESH:D005690), Eudragit RS (MESH:C050528), hyaluronic acid (MESH:D006820), insulin (MESH:D007328), XG (MESH:C002563), OXP (MESH:D000077150), ethanol (MESH:D000431), SFN (MESH:D000077157), progesterone (MESH:D011374), inulin (MESH:D007444), PVP (MESH:D011205), AG (MESH:D012834), Resveratrol (MESH:D000077185), CaCl2 (MESH:D002122), acetaminophen (MESH:D000082), salicylic (MESH:D020156), sulfate (MESH:D013431), alginate (MESH:D000464), cellobiose (MESH:D002475), Sugars (MESH:D000073893), CS (MESH:D048271), P (MESH:D010758), chondroitin sulfate (MESH:D002809), 5-ASA (MESH:D019804), CaCO3 (MESH:D002119), MoS2 (MESH:C082964), metal (MESH:D008670), glucuronide (MESH:D020719), konjac glucomannan (MESH:C022901), C (MESH:D002244), polyelectrolyte (MESH:D000071228), rutin (MESH:D012431), Polymer (MESH:D011108), Chitosan succinate (MESH:C119690), HPMC (MESH:D065347), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (MESH:C004931)
- **Species:** Hyphomicrobium sp. PMC (species) [taxon 161967], Clostridia (class) [taxon 186801], Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon cinnamon, species) [taxon 128608], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562], Canis lupus familiaris (dog, subspecies) [taxon 9615], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Commiphora myrrha (myrrh, species) [taxon 318982], Equus caballus (domestic horse, species) [taxon 9796], PX clade (clade) [taxon 569578], Bos taurus (bovine, species) [taxon 9913], Cavia porcellus (domestic guinea pig, species) [taxon 10141], Curcuma longa (turmeric, species) [taxon 136217], Oryctolagus cuniculus (domestic rabbit, species) [taxon 9986], Cercopithecidae (monkey, family) [taxon 9527], Bifidobacterium (genus) [taxon 1678], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Clostridium (genus) [taxon 1485], Bacteroides (genus) [taxon 816], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116]
- **Cell lines:** HFFF2 — Homo sapiens (Human), Finite cell line (CVCL_2489), C3H10T1/2 — Mus musculus (Mouse), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_0190), HeLa — Homo sapiens (Human), Human papillomavirus-related endocervical adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0030), HT-29 — Homo sapiens (Human), Colon adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0320), Caco-2 — Homo sapiens (Human), Colon adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0025)

## Full text

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## Figures

7 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928187/full.md

## References

298 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928187/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928187