Chapter SIX - Bioinspired and biomimetic materials for oral drug delivery

Abstract

Bioinspired and biomimetic materials are one of the major classes of drug and gene delivery carrier in modern days. These materials contain materials from natural components or living systems like bacteria, virus, cell-derived components, lipids, etc. The materials are biocompatible due to their shape, surface, and motion that work as a natural nanocarrier for drug and gene delivery application. Besides, bioinspired and biomimetic nanosystems have theranostic and biosensing applications in the field of biomedical science. High pay load, less toxicity, and significant interaction with the target site made them one of the best candidates for drug and gene delivery application. However, the effectiveness of the bioinspired materials and their acceptance toward patients highly depends on the drug delivery routes. Oral delivery route is more target specific, safe, and patients compliance, thus it is of great importance to find the suitable vehicle and proper delivery way for the oral delivery of bioinspired and biomimetic materials. Several bioinspired materials have been modified with functional moieties such as bile acids which enhance the oral absorption of the material, and targeting bile acid receptors in liver or intestine, or chitosan-modified materials that help to open the tight junctions of the mucosal membrane and enhances absorption. These biomimetic systems will have a great impact in biomedical science if that can be tuned properly. The chapter details the types, characteristics, and strategies for developing bioinspired and biomimetic materials for oral drug delivery application.