CALCITONIN AND NEW ROUTES OF ADMINISTRATION OF CALCITONIN

Gülay YETKIN*, Nevin ÇELEBI*°

*Gazi University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, 06330 Etiler, Ankara, TURKEY.
°Corresponding Author

Summary:
Calcitonin is polypeptide hormone containing 32 amino acids, and is used clinically for the treatment of hypercalcemia, Paget's disease and more recently, osteoporosis. The common route of administration of calcitonin is by parenteral injection. The daily injections are caused with physical and social discomfort, which may lead to patient complaints. Therefore, recently non-parenteral routes have been investigated for calcitonin administration. Calcitonin, like most peptides and proteins, is not absorbed when administered orally, as peptides undergo an extensive first-pass nietabolism and are degraded by proteolytic enzymes in gastrointestinal tract. Transmucosal routes such as vaginal, rectal, buccal, pulmonary, and especially nasal mucosa has been extensively examined for the systemic effects of calcitonin. Also, there are nanocapsules and biodegradable microspheres studies on calcitonin present in literature. The new routes of calcitonin administration will be examined and disciissed in this review article.

Key words:
Calcitonin, Vaginal, Rectal, Buccal, Pulmonar, Nasal, Nanocapsules, Microspheres.