NASAL DRUG DELIVERY

Hakan EROGLU*, H. Süheyla KAS*°

*Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Thechnology, 06100, Ankara, TURKEY.
°Corresponding Author

Summary:
The advantages of the nasal route, factors influencing the administration of drugs by the nasal route, and the dosage forms suitable for nasal administration are especially important for peptide protein drugs that cannot be used by other routes because of low bioavilibility. An important physiological defense mechanism of the respiratory tract is mucociliary clearance and it is the most important factor that affects the use of drugs by the nasal route. Mucociliary clearance protects the body against noxious inhaled materials. In this review, the studies reported in the literature within the last fifty years concerning nasal drug delivery are summarized and compared, factors affecting the bioavilibility of the drugs, which include the effect of mucociliary inhibition, changes in viscosity and the use of absorption enhancers are reviewed. The microparticulate dosage forms for nasal administration are also described.

Key words:
Nasal route, Nasal microparticulates, Bioadhesive nasal dosage forms.