<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD JATS (Z39.96) Journal Article Tag Suite 1.1//EN"
  "https://jats.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/1.1/JATS-journalpublishing1.dtd">
<article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
         xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
         article-type="research-article"
         xml:lang="en">
  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Integrated Medical Sciences</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">jprims</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="epub">3049-1681</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Dr. Arpan Kumar Tripathi</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.64063/3049-1681.vol.3.issue2.4</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">jprims-00000216</article-id>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Comparative Evaluation of Polymeric, Nanoparticle, and Hydrogel Based Colon-Targeted Drug Delivery Systems under Simulated Gastrointestinal Conditions</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Prasanna</surname>
            <given-names>P.Krishna Prasanna</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Sruthi</surname>
            <given-names>Kondru Sruthi</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2"/>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Vani</surname>
            <given-names>D.Lalitha Sree Vani</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3"/>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Kumar</surname>
            <given-names>K. Sampath Kumar </given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3"/>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <aff id="aff1">Avanthi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vizianagaram. AP, India</aff>
      <aff id="aff2">Malla Reddy Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mallareddy VishwaVidyapeeth Deemed to be University, Maisammaguda, Hyderabad. Telangana, India-500100</aff>
      <aff id="aff3">Malla Reddy Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mallareddy VishwaVidyapeeth Deemed to be University, Maisammaguda, Hyderabad. Telangana, India- 500100</aff>
      <pub-date pub-type="epub" iso-8601-date="2026">
        <year>2026</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>3</volume>
      <issue>2</issue>
      <abstract>
        <p>
The present study compares three colon-targeted drug delivery systems; Eudragit S100-coated polymeric tablets, PLGA nanoparticles, and alginate hydrogel microspheres, developed for the controlled release of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). Each formulation was prepared and optimized using distinct carriers and evaluated under simulated gastrointestinal (GI) conditions to assess their physicochemical characteristics, release behaviour, and stability. The formulations were characterized for particle size, surface charge, encapsulation efficiency, and swelling index. Morphological analysis confirmed smooth coating in polymeric tablets, spherical uniformity in nanoparticles, and a porous structure in hydrogels. In vitro dissolution studies revealed minimal drug release in gastric conditions (≤2% at pH 1.2) and sustained release at colonic pH (7.4). PLGA nanoparticles showed the most controlled release profile, achieving 92.1 ± 2.4% cumulative release at 24 hours, compared with 100.0 ± 3.1% for polymeric tablets and 85.4 ± 2.1% for hydrogels. Kinetic modeling indicated that all systems followed diffusion-dominated release, with nanoparticles best fitting the Higuchi model (R² = 0.981). Stability studies confirmed nanoparticle integrity under prolonged acidic and neutral exposure, while hydrogels exhibited partial deformation. Overall performance analysis identified PLGA nanoparticles as the most efficient system, demonstrating superior acid resistance, encapsulation efficiency, and colon-specific release. These findings suggest that nanoparticle-based carriers offer significant potential for achieving predictable, site-specific, and sustained drug delivery to the colon.</p>
      </abstract>
      <kwd-group kwd-group-type="author">
        <kwd>Pharmaceutical Formulation.</kwd>
        <kwd>Personalized Medicine</kwd>
        <kwd>Stimuli-Responsive Polymers</kwd>
        <kwd>Polymeric Microspheres</kwd>
        <kwd>PLGA</kwd>
        <kwd>Nanoparticles</kwd>
        <kwd>Polymer Degradation</kwd>
        <kwd>Controlled Release</kwd>
        <kwd>Drug Delivery</kwd>
        <kwd>Biodegradable Polymers</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  <body>
    <!-- Full article body not available in metadata-only JATS export. See PDF/HTML galley. -->
  </body>
  <back/>
</article>
