Abstract
Vitamin D (VD) is a fat-soluble prohormone well known for its role in regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism. It has been clinically used for many years to prevent rickets in children, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis in adults. VD insufficiency is a common medical condition, and many supplements are available in the market in order to increase serum 25-hydroxy VD levels to recommended amounts. Over the course of the last decades, it has become increasingly clear that calcitriol, an active form of VD, regulates multiple cellular processes with effects on normal and malignant cell growth and differentiation, and on the immune and cardiovascular function. Increasing evidence supports the role of the VD system in cancer prevention and therapy. Due to many pleiotropic and beneficial effects in extra-skeletal disorders, VD has gained potential and become an interesting active for encapsulation into drug delivery systems. The purpose of this review is to present the diversity of drug delivery systems that have been reported for VD or VD derivatives in an orderly manner across the following categories: Oral administration, application on the skin, cancer prevention/therapy, and other diseases or routes of administration.
Highlights
Vitamin D (VD) is one of the lipophilic vitamins
While the encapsulation of bioactive compounds in food products using nano/microparticulate systems is not a new concept [24], fortification of foods or beverages with VD still represents a big challenge for several reasons, including (i) high hydrophobicity that prevents direct dispersion of the vitamin in an aqueous food matrix, (ii) chemical degradation of VD leading to the reduction of
While the encapsulation of bioactive compounds in food products using nano/microparticulate systems is not a new concept [24], fortification of foods or beverages with VD still represents a big challenge for several reasons, including (i) high hydrophobicity that prevents direct dispersion of the vitamin in an aqueous food matrix, (ii) chemical degradation of VD leading to the reduction of functionality and bioavailability, and (iii) variable oral bioavailability [19,25,26]
Summary
Vitamin D (VD) is one of the lipophilic vitamins. The most important forms of VD are cholecalciferol (vitamin D3, VD3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2, VD2) (Figure 1). Seocalcitol is 50–200 times more potent than calcitriol concerning regulation of cell growth and differentiation in vitro as well as in vivo It has reduced calcemic activitywithout in vivo changing comparedlifestyle to that of but a lower binding supplementation or food fortification to calcitriol, avoid impaired skeletal and affinityhealth for the[2]. The activity of the hormone is self-regulated as it simultaneously induces its inactivation [5] To overcome these barriers, several analogues of calcitriol with lower calcemic activities that activate the target receptor have been synthesised [10,11,12]. It has reduced calcemic activity in vivo compared to that of calcitriol, but a lower binding affinity for the Pharmaceutics
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