Methods to study the gastrointestinal absorption and permeability of drugs

Abstract

Objectives: There are several approaches to gain early information regarding the intestinal permeability and potential for intestinal absorption of drugs. Thus in the present work, different methods available in scientific sources are reviewed. Methods: several models gathered from literature, then their use, advantages and limitations were evaluated. Results: The review indicates that the models are categorized into five classes including human perfusion studies, animal studies (using isolated tissue and/or intestinal perfusion), cell culture techniques, immobilized artificial membrane columns and in silico models. Conclusion: Introduced models could be used in different phases of drug discovery and development, however in silico models are the only one that can help optimizing chemical synthesis since the absorption potential is predicted based on structural characteristics only.