The gut microbiome is recognized as a critical factor in advancing precision nutrition and medicine for health and in developing dietary recommendations and targeted therapies for gastrointestinal (GI) health and diseases. However, conventional sampling methods, such as fecal analysis and colonoscopy, often fail to capture microbial information from specific regions of the GI tract or require invasive procedures, thereby limiting accuracy and clinical utility. As a non-invasive alternative, passive sampling capsules have been developed for site-specific microbiome analysis by employing pH-sensitive enteric coatings that delay sampling until the capsule reaches the targeted intestinal region. Although this approach has been successful in the small intestine, colonic sampling remains challenging due to the high interpersonal variability in intestinal pH, which makes it difficult to rely solely on a pH-triggering mechanism. To overcome this challenge, a dual bacterially and pH triggered polymeric enteric coating was created by blending lactulose and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, enabling complete dissolution within the colonic region. Through systematic characterization of multiple polymer blend compositions using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry, an optimized design was identified that provides both suitable physical integrity and rapid (∼2 h) degradation in the presence of colonic bacteria, across a pH range of 5 to 8. The optimized blend was subsequently applied as a double-layer enteric coating on a sampling capsule, enabling the dissolution of the outer layer in the small intestine and complete dissolution of the inner layer in the colon. In-vitro and in-vivo pig model studies were conducted to validate the capsule's sampling performance and to ensure the preservation of the microbial environment. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed a taxonomic similarity between samples collected by the capsule and the colonic microbiome (residing between the ileum and fecal matter). Overall, this technology provides an effective approach to targeted microbial sampling and may pave the way for more comprehensive colonic microbiome analyses and improved diagnostic capabilities for GI diseases. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Precise monitoring of the gut microbiome is vital for understanding health and disease, yet current sampling techniques often lack precision or require invasive procedures. Our work introduces a novel, non-invasive capsule that targets the colon using a dual-trigger polymer system activated by both pH and colonic bacteria. This design enables localized sampling of gut microbiota, overcoming the limitations of fecal analysis, endoscopy, and earlier pH-triggered capsule designs. By capturing microbial communities directly from the colon, our technology provides deeper insights into colonic health and conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. This breakthrough represents a significant advancement in precision nutrition and medicine for human health, and advanced diagnostics and targeted therapies to support dietary guidance, clinical practice and biomedical research.

Tylvalosin Tartrate (TAT), a new-generation macrolide antibiotic, undergoes significant degradation in the stomach and in vivo rapid elimination upon oral administration, resulting in poor bioavailability. This study developed TAT enteric amorphous pellets by liquid layering (TAT/EAP-LL) with pH-sensitive and burst release characteristics, to enhance drug stability in the stomach and concentration enrichment in the duodenum.

The drug loading layer, isolation layer and enteric layer were formed on the surface of the blank core pellets. Investigation into the characteristics of TAT/EAP-LL revealed that stable amorphous solid dispersions in the drug loading layer were formed by liquid layering. Then, DSC analysis confirmed that triethyl citrate significantly improved the film-forming properties of Methacrylic-ethyl acrylate copolymer. Additionally, TAT/EAP-LL was confirmed to exist in the amorphous state by DSC、PXRD and PLM.

In vitro, TAT/EAP-LL demonstrated a similar 4.07% release within 2 h at pH 1.0 as TAT enteric pellets (TAT/EP-LL) and a much faster burst release at pH 6.8, with complete release within 15 min. In vivo, the oral bioavailability of TAT/EAP-LL was improved to 1.71 times compared to commercial formulations and 1.47 times compared to TAT/EP-LL.

This study offers a novel platform for the enhanced oral delivery of TAT and proposes effective formulation strategies for pulsatile drug delivery.

Dual-nozzle fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a 3D printing technique that allows for the simultaneous printing of two polymeric filaments and the design of complex geometries. Hence, hybrid formulations and structurally different sections can be combined into the same dosage form to achieve customized drug release kinetics. The objective of this study was to develop a novel bicompartmental device by dual-nozzle FDM for colon-specific drug delivery. Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were selected as matrix-forming polymers of the outer pH-dependent and the inner water-soluble compartments, respectively. 5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) was selected as the model drug. Drug-free HPMCAS and drug-loaded PVA filaments suitable for FDM were extruded, and their properties were assessed by thermal, X-ray diffraction, microscopy, and texture analysis techniques. 5-ASA (20% w/w) remained mostly crystalline in the PVA matrix. Filaments were successfully printed into bicompartmental devices combining an outer cylindrical compartment and an inner spiral-shaped compartment that communicates with the external media through an opening. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray tomography analysis were performed to guarantee the quality of the 3D-printed devices. In vitro drug release tests demonstrated a pH-responsive biphasic release pattern: a slow and sustained release period (pH values of 1.2 and 6.8) controlled by drug diffusion followed by a faster drug release phase (pH 7.4) governed by polymer relaxation/erosion. Overall, this research demonstrates the feasibility of the dual-nozzle FDM technique to obtain an innovative 3D-printed bicompartmental device for targeting 5-ASA to the colon.

In this study, high energy ball milling and nano spray drying were used to prepare amorphous solid dispersions of bosentan in copovidone for the first time. In particular, the impact of this polymer on the bosentan amorphization kinetics was investigated. Copovidone was shown to facilitate the amorphization of bosentan upon ball milling. As a result, bosentan was dispersed in copovidone at the molecular level, forming amorphous solid dispersions, regardless of the ratio of the compounds. The similarity between the values of the adjustment parameter that describes the goodness of fit of the Gordon-Taylor equation to the experimental data (K = 1.16) and that theoretically calculated for an ideal mixture (K = 1.13) supported these findings. The kind of coprocessing method determined the powder microstructure and the release rate. The opportunity to prepare submicrometer-sized spherical particles using nano spray drying was an important advantage of this technology. Both coprocessing methods allowed the formation of long-lasting supersaturated bosentan solutions in the gastric environment with maximum concentrations reached ranging from four (11.20 μg/mL) to more than ten times higher (31.17 μg/mL) than those recorded when the drug was vitrified alone (2.76 μg/mL). Moreover, this supersaturation lasted for a period of time at least twice as long as that of the amorphous bosentan processed without copovidone (15 min vs. 30-60 min). Finally, these binary amorphous solid dispersions were XRD-amorphous for a year of storage under ambient conditions.