Among the different routes of drug administration available, oral administration is the preferred one and is patient-friendly. This is the most common and practical route of administration, with drugs being administered in solid or liquid form. Bioavailability and the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug administered in this way rely on the rate of absorption of the active substance through the digestive barrier to reach the systemic circulation. Two parameters are important for determining this absorption at the level of membranes: aqueous solubility and permeability.
Therefore, oral formulations must overcome these problems to achieve successful drug delivery. Among the various solutions, Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs), have recently been proposed.
Thus, by increasing the solubility compared to that in water of poorly water-soluble molecules, oral administration of DESs could increase absorption at the level of the intestinal mucosa. To further develop new DES-based formulations for oral administration, an unambiguous demonstration of the safety of DESs must be obtained. Indeed, up to now, few toxicology studies have allowed a conclusion on the safety of orally administered DES. Moreover, some DESs are described as having antibacterial activity.
Our current project allows us to determine the potential toxicity of DESs and their impact on the gut microbiota and host homeostasis using in-vivo approaches. So, it is essential to analyze their possible impact on the intestinal microbiota in the context of oral administration. However, DESs have recently been used to orally deliver biotechnological products or natural bioactive compounds/extracts.
This is a collaborative project with Dr. François-Xavier Legrand at Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay.