Ana Rute Neves
University of Porto, Portugal
Title: Challenges and advances in oral drug delivery using lipid-based nanoparticles
Biography
Biography: Ana Rute Neves
Abstract
Oral administration is the preferred route for drug delivery and nanotechnology represents a novel strategy for protection and transport of hardly soluble, chemically unstable and poorly permeable drugs through the gastrointestinal tract, in order to improve their oral bioavailability. Here, lipid-based nanoparticles have been studied as promising tools for the transport across the intestinal barrier. All nanosystems present similar size (~180 nm) and surface charge (<30 mV). A stability study was conducted simulating the gastrointestinal tract fluids. The cellular uptake, internalization pathways and transcytosis routes were investigated using Caco-2 cells as a model of the intestinal barrier since after growth these cells form confluent and differentiated monolayers with microvilli, tight junctions and transport systems. Nanostructured lipid carriers show a higher cellular uptake and permeability across the barrier, while solid lipid nanoparticles may enter cells faster than the former. The internalization of lipid nanoparticles occurs mainly through a clathrin-mediated endocytosis mechanism, although caveolae-mediated endocytosis is also involved in the uptake. Both lipid nanoparticles are able to cross the intestinal barrier by a preferential transcellular route.