Nanoparticle targeting to inflamed tissues of the gastrointestinal tract.

Dose limitations in therapy induced by adverse effects due to unselective drug availability are a common problem. One prominent example for this dilemma are inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The challenge for drug delivery systems in the therapy of these diseases is the delivery of the active ingredient to the site of inflammation. Colloidal carriers allow to improve delivery of drugs to the site of action and appear promising to overcome this general therapeutic drawback. Here we focus on nanocarrier-based drug delivery strategies for the treatment of common inflammatory disorders like inflammatory bowel disease and gastric ulcer.