Nanoemulsion as a promising drug delivery strategy for effective eradication of Helicobacter pylori: current insights

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) have infected about 50% of the world’s population and is a leading cause of gastrointestinal diseases, including gastritis, peptic ulcer, and stomach cancer. Current treatment regimens often fail to completely eradicate the bacteria due to the failure of antibiotics to penetrate into stomach’s inner mucosa, where the bacteria reside. Additional factors such as the ability of the organism to neutralize the stomach’s acidic environment and biofilm formation further contribute to treatment failure leading to antibiotic resistance. These challenges underscore the urgent need for new treatment options and strategies to combat H. pylori effectively. The current review delivers an overview of the pathophysiology of H. pylori, the limitations of the current regimens, and the potential of nanoemulsion as a smart carrier addressing the limitations associated with H. pylori treatment. The nanoemulsion offers specific advantages like mucoadhesion potential, targeted delivery, controlled release, and co-delivery options that ultimately results in an enhancement of bioavailability of the antibiotics to H. pylori, which resides in the inner walls of the stomach mucosa. Further, the ability of nanoemulsions to encapsulate the drug molecules helps in protecting the antibiotics from the stomach acidity facilitating drug stability. In conclusion, the review highlights the importance of tapping this unexplored potential of nanoemulsion as a promising drug delivery option for the treatment of H. pylori infection.