Drug development regarding the digestive microbiota

Emerging concern on the potential of colonic microbiota on the disposition of the oral drugs is existing among the scientific circles. The role of the gut microbiota is underestimated in the actual process of drug development of new drug entities. New in vitro approaches will improve the understanding on the effects of bacterial metabolism on the oral drug and constitute the input to build promising in silico models that could be used in early stages of the drug development process. In the design of drug delivery systems, the metabolic action of the gut microbiota could be used to deliver anticancer drug into the colon for the treatment of colorectal cancers. This promising approach could be further applied for local treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases or for improving drug absorption into systemic circulation to treat various illnesses. The potential metabolic function of various microorganisms can as well benefit the pharmaceutical industry in the production of mannitol, an up-and-coming excipient for oral and other drug dosage forms. This production method is cheap, environmentally friendly and efficient. Mannitol has excellent physicochemical properties to accompany the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the dosage form improving the stability, taste and drug release, among others.