Introduction: The most popular method for delivering drugs locally and systemically is oral. However, the gastrointestinal tract's severe physiological (mucosal and enzymatic barrier) and physicochemical (pH) environment places restrictions on the oral drug delivery system's bioavailability and targeted design.
Areas covered: Various nanoparticulate drug delivery systems (NPDDSs) based on lipids or polymers, such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, nanospheres, and nanocapsules and their application in successful treatment of serious diseases such as intestinal bowel disease and colorectal cancer (CRC). These systems can ensure advantages over conventional systems liked improved bioavailability, prolonged residence time, and enhanced solubility of poorly soluble drugs. Moreover, the nature of these NPDDSs led to numerous breakthroughs in bioavailability, active and passive targeting, controlled release, and cost-efficient production on an industrial scale in recent years.
Expert opinion: An expert opinion on orally administrable lipid and polymer based NPDDS, the physiological barriers and their use in the treatment of intestinal bowel disease and CRC is provided within this review.
Keywords: Liposomes; nanocapsules; nanospheres; polymeric micelles; solid lipid nanoparticles.