[Biodegradable polymers for colon-specific drug delivery].

This review focuses on the colonic drug delivery, especially using biodegradable polymers i.e. guar gum, chondroitin sulfate, pectin, starch and amylose, dextran, chitosan, inulin. Basics of colon-specific targeting, formulation aspects, microflora influence and application of cross-linking techniques and polymer mixtures for targeting drugs into the colon are presented. Adventages and disadventages of colon-specific drug delivery are also described. A number of polymers is important in the context of colon-specific drug delivery. Considerable progress has been made over last three decades in this area. Although extensive investigations have to be done in the area of microflora endogenous ecosystems and enzymatic science, immunoactivity of biopolymers, and absorption enhancers for colonic mucous. Completely synthetic polymers of good swelling properties and sensitive to bacterial enzymes are also possible in the close future.