Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes

Transmucosal drug products, such as aerosols, films, semisolids, suppositories, and tablets, have been developed for the treatment of various human diseases and conditions. Transmucosal drug absorption is highly influenced by the biological structures of the mucosa and the physiological environment...

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Main Authors: Juan Song, Zizhao Xu, Lingxiao Xie, Jie Shen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/2/256
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author Juan Song
Zizhao Xu
Lingxiao Xie
Jie Shen
author_facet Juan Song
Zizhao Xu
Lingxiao Xie
Jie Shen
author_sort Juan Song
collection DOAJ
description Transmucosal drug products, such as aerosols, films, semisolids, suppositories, and tablets, have been developed for the treatment of various human diseases and conditions. Transmucosal drug absorption is highly influenced by the biological structures of the mucosa and the physiological environment specific to the administration route (e.g., nasal, rectal, and vaginal). Over the last few decades, in vitro permeation testing (IVPT) using animal tissues or in vitro cell cultures have been utilized as a cost-effective and efficient tool for evaluating drug release and permeation behavior, assisting in formulation development and quality control of transmucosal drug delivery systems. This review summarizes the key mucosal permeation barriers associated with representative transmucosal administration routes, as well as considerations for IVPT method development. It highlights various IVPT methods, including vertical diffusion cell, flow-through diffusion cell, Ussing chamber, and transwell systems. Additionally, future perspectives are discussed, such as the use of optical methods to study in vitro drug permeation and the development of in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) for transmucosal drug development. The potential of IVPT as part of in vitro bioequivalence assessment strategies for locally acting transmucosal drug products is also highlighted.
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spelling doaj-art-db00f314253b4f0d9476a331b3732ffc2025-08-20T02:01:24ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232025-02-0117225610.3390/pharmaceutics17020256Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal MembranesJuan Song0Zizhao Xu1Lingxiao Xie2Jie Shen3Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USADepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USADepartment of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USADepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USATransmucosal drug products, such as aerosols, films, semisolids, suppositories, and tablets, have been developed for the treatment of various human diseases and conditions. Transmucosal drug absorption is highly influenced by the biological structures of the mucosa and the physiological environment specific to the administration route (e.g., nasal, rectal, and vaginal). Over the last few decades, in vitro permeation testing (IVPT) using animal tissues or in vitro cell cultures have been utilized as a cost-effective and efficient tool for evaluating drug release and permeation behavior, assisting in formulation development and quality control of transmucosal drug delivery systems. This review summarizes the key mucosal permeation barriers associated with representative transmucosal administration routes, as well as considerations for IVPT method development. It highlights various IVPT methods, including vertical diffusion cell, flow-through diffusion cell, Ussing chamber, and transwell systems. Additionally, future perspectives are discussed, such as the use of optical methods to study in vitro drug permeation and the development of in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) for transmucosal drug development. The potential of IVPT as part of in vitro bioequivalence assessment strategies for locally acting transmucosal drug products is also highlighted.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/2/256mucosain vitro permeationphysiological environmentlocally actingbiorelevantin vitro characterization-based bioequivalence
spellingShingle Juan Song
Zizhao Xu
Lingxiao Xie
Jie Shen
Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes
Pharmaceutics
mucosa
in vitro permeation
physiological environment
locally acting
biorelevant
in vitro characterization-based bioequivalence
title Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes
title_full Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes
title_fullStr Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes
title_full_unstemmed Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes
title_short Recent Advances in Studying In Vitro Drug Permeation Across Mucosal Membranes
title_sort recent advances in studying in vitro drug permeation across mucosal membranes
topic mucosa
in vitro permeation
physiological environment
locally acting
biorelevant
in vitro characterization-based bioequivalence
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/2/256
work_keys_str_mv AT juansong recentadvancesinstudyinginvitrodrugpermeationacrossmucosalmembranes
AT zizhaoxu recentadvancesinstudyinginvitrodrugpermeationacrossmucosalmembranes
AT lingxiaoxie recentadvancesinstudyinginvitrodrugpermeationacrossmucosalmembranes
AT jieshen recentadvancesinstudyinginvitrodrugpermeationacrossmucosalmembranes