Ionotropic Gelation and Chemical Crosslinking as Tools to Obtain Gellan Gum-Based Beads with Mesalazine

<b>Introduction:</b> Many orally administered drugs are either unstable in the acidic environment of the stomach or cause moderate to severe side effects in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT). These limitations can reduce therapeutic efficacy, discourage patient compliance, worsen the disease, and even contribute to the risk of cancer development. To overcome these issues, drug release often needs to be modified and targeted to the distal parts of the GIT. This is typically achieved through the use of pH-sensitive polymer coatings or incorporation into polymeric delivery systems. With this in mind, the aim of this project was to design, develop, and characterize gellan gum-based beads for colon-specific prolonged release of mesalazine, with potential application in the chemoprevention and treatment of bowel diseases. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The dehydrated capsules were characterized using Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The crosslinked gellan gum was additionally evaluated for cytotoxicity. Key parameters such as pH-dependent swelling behavior, drug content, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release in simulated gastrointestinal fluids were also assessed. Furthermore, the behavior of the capsules in the gastrointestinal tract was studied in a rat model to evaluate their in vivo performance. <b>Results:</b> Significant differences in drug release profiles were observed between formulations crosslinked solely with calcium ions and those additionally crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA). The incorporation of GA effectively prolonged the release of mesalazine. These findings were further supported by in vivo studies conducted on Wistar rats, where the GA-crosslinked formulation demonstrated a markedly extended release compared to the formulation prepared using only ionotropic gelation. <b>Conclusions:</b> The combination of ionotropic gelation and glutaraldehyde crosslinking in gellan gum-based beads appears to be a promising strategy for achieving colon-specific prolonged release of mesalazine, facilitating targeted delivery to the distal regions of the gastrointestinal tract.