PhD Candidate University College London London, England, United Kingdom
Introduction: Oral drug delivery is often limited by variable absorption and first-pass metabolism. Emerging evidence suggests the gut microbiota can influence drug disposition through bioaccumulation, a process distinct from biotransformation. This study investigates strain-specific bioaccumulation of duloxetine in probiotic Lactobacillus species to elucidate underlying mechanisms and explore their potential as living oral drug delivery carriers.
Learning Objectives:
describe the concept of microbial drug bioaccumulation and distinguish it from microbial biotransformation.
explain the roles of electrostatic binding, passive diffusion, and efflux in probiotic drug accumulation.
evaluate the potential of probiotic Lactobacillus species as living carriers for oral drug delivery applications.
