Pastorelli L, Saibeni S, Spina L et al.
IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2008;28:581–8.
Editor’s note: Due to the proposed anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory functions of heparins, which has been much reported in the literature, there has been considerable interest in investigating unfractionated and low-molecular-weight heparins as treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. However, previous clinical studies using oral administration of preparations designed for subcutaneous use have yielded mixed results, and in a recent meta-analysis it was concluded that while heparin treatments may be safe, they provide no overall benefit over conventional therapy (
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2007;26:653–63). The availability of an oral capsule in a “multimatrix” formulation (MMX
TM; Cosmo Technologies Ltd, Dublin, Republic of Ireland) that provides controlled slow release of contained heparin into the colon (and thus, potentially, local delivery with minimal systemic absorption) prompted this small pilot study in patients with mild-to-moderate relapses of left-sided ulcerative colitis (UC).