Polysaccharidase producing microflora in the large intestine could facilitate the use of polysaccharides as the carriers for the drug delivery to the colon site to cure the local diseases of the colon. Bacterial enzyme degradable polysaccharides are now extensively used for the development of oral solid dosage forms for delivery of drug molecules to the colon as they having outstanding merits such as low toxicity and biodegradability, yet a high stability. Polysaccharides have been applied to the area as controlled release systems with external coatings, matrices formation, macromolecular and biodegradable carriers. Colon, the distal part of the intestine is hosted by a large variety of anaerobic gram negative microflora which secrete many enzymes e.g. amylase, pectinase, β-D-glucosidase, β-D-galactosidase, xylanase, dextranase etc. These enzymes play a vital role in the drug release mechanism of polysaccharide based systems. Polysaccharides can avoid degradation in the small intestine, but are a substrate of the colonic microbiota, e.g. amylose, chitosan, guar gum, xanthan gum, pectin, chondroitin sulphate, cyclodextrin, dextrans, inulin, locust bean gum, furcelleran, glucomannan, gellan gum, hyaluronic acid, karaya gum, scleroglucan, pullulan and xylan. The present review highlights the recent advancements made in the usage of polysaccharides in colon-specific drug delivery are discussed.
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