Shape effect in the design of nanowire-coated microparticles as transepithelial drug delivery devices.

ABSTRACT: While the oral drug delivery route has traditionally been the most popular among patients, it is estimated that 90% of therapeutic compounds possess oral bioavailability limitations. Thus, the development of novel drug carriers for more effective oral delivery of therapeutics is an important goal. Composite particles made by growing nanoscopic silicon wires from the surface of narrowly dispersed, microsized silica beads were previously shown to be able to (a) adhere well onto the epithelium by interdigitating their nanowires with the apical microvilli and (b) increase the permeability of Caco-2 cell monolayers with respect to small organic molecules in direct proportion to their concentration. A comparison between the effects of spherical and planar particle morphologies on the permeabilit

SUBMITTER: Uskokovic V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3461957 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature