Colon-specific delivery of budesonide from microencapsulated cellulosic cores: evaluation of the efficacy against colonic inflammation in rats.

Budesonide (BDS) is a potent corticosteroid that has important implications in the pharmacotherapy of inflammatory bowel disease, especially in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. BDS is available on the market in the form of enteric-coated preparations. However these products, similar to other available site-specific dosage forms, are not sufficiently selective to treat colonic inflammatory bowel disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a new microparticulate system containing BDS, to treat experimentally induced colitis in rats. This microparticulate system consisted of BDS-containing hydrophobic cores, microencapsulated within an enteric polymer, which solubilizes at above pH 7, thus combining pH-sensitive and controlled-release properties. Colonic injury and inflammation were assessed by measuring colon/bodyweight ratio, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and by scoring macroscopic and histological damage in colitic rats. Rats were treated orally with BDS, included in the developed system, once a day for 4 days after the induction of inflammation. A BDS suspension and BDS-containing enteric microparticles were included as control formulations in the experimental design. The administration of the new BDS delivery system significantly reduced the colon/bodyweight ratio compared with the administration of control formulations. Similarly, MPO activity and macroscopic and histological damage of the inflamed colonic segments decreased significantly when the BDS formulation was administered, compared with the results obtained after oral administration of the drug suspension. There were no significant differences, however, when the new treatment was compared with the control formulation consisting of simple enteric microparticles.