(508d) The Influence of Peristalsis Enhanced Permeability on Drug Delivery in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Here we evaluate the influence of peristalsis on delivery of pharmaceutical agents into the esophagus.  Although drug delivery to the esophagus remains challenging (bolus passage completes in <20 s), it is increasingly important.  For example, debilitating esophageal diseases including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) require delivery of small molecules such as the glucocorticoids fluticasone and budesonide to the lumenal surface of the esophageal.  These molecules counter damage to the mucosal surface caused by the invasion of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, into the esophagus.  Yet, how esophageal peristalsis affects drug delivery remains unclear.  For example, we know experimentally that as the bolus moves from the oral cavity to the stomach, the esophageal wall moves in the opposite direction (towards the oral cavity) introducing both a tensile strain on the esophageal wall and retrograde surface velocities.  This talk will discuss each of these effects and their influence on the rate of small molecule transport through the mucus and tissue.