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Age-mediated changes in the gastrointestinal tract

Merchant, HA; Liu, F; Gul, MO; Basit, AW; (2016) Age-mediated changes in the gastrointestinal tract. International Journal of Pharmaceutics , 512 (2) pp. 382-395. 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.04.024. Green open access

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Abstract

Physiological functions of the two extreme ends of the age spectrum, children (<18 years old) and older adults (aged 65 years and over), differ from healthy young adults. This consequently affects the pharmacokinetic profiles of administered drugs, which, in turn, impacts upon clinical practice and drug therapy. The gastrointestinal milieu acts as a distinct and vital organ regulating the dissolution, absorption and metabolism of orally ingested drugs. Age-mediated alteration in the physiology and function of the gut can reshape the pharmacokinetics of certain drugs. However, our understanding on this topic is limited. This article references the gut physiology of healthy adults to capture the available evidence in the literature on the extent and nature of the changes in childhood and older age. The gut, as an organ, is examined with regards to the effect of age on luminal fluid, microbiota, transit and motility, and the intestinal mucosa. Whilst drastic developmental changes were observed in certain aspects of the gastrointestinal environment, the examination reveals significant gaps in our knowledge in the physiology and function of the developing or ageing gut. The revelation of the unknown paves the way towards a better characterization of the human gastrointestinal tract for optimized drug therapy in children and older adults.

Type: Article
Title: Age-mediated changes in the gastrointestinal tract
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.04.024
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.04.024
Language: English
Additional information: © 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. This manuscript version is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This licence allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licences are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.
Keywords: Personalised medicine, absorption, ageing, gastrointestinal tract, geriatrics, paediatrics
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Pharmaceutics
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1542469
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