Research into drug delivery for veterinary species incorporates unique challenges whilst providing opportunities for advancement in the care of both animal and human patients. In the field of veterinary pharmaceutics, there is great diversity in the animals that require treatment and the type of therapeutic agents to be delivered. Our aim in compiling this Special Theme Issue was to draw together a wide scope of articles from those describing fundamental research in veterinary drug delivery (including pharmacology, pharmaceutics and analytical sciences) to reviews on contemporary topics relevant to the field.
The contributions to this Special Issue of The Journal of Pharmacy and BioAllied Sciences open with a review by Vandamme who discusses the integral topic of the utilization of animals as models of disease to evaluate therapeutic compounds prior to testing in the clinical setting. Animal models are also the topic of the excellent and extensive review by Griffin and will be of value to anyone working in the field of immunology. Griffin draws on his some 30 years in the animal health field to propose that exotic animals may be more relevant disease models for infectious diseases than traditional mouse models. Formulation and re-formulation of therapeutic agents continues to be an integral component of veterinary medicine. McDowell et al. address limitations in the current formulation of the anesthetic Avertin® and investigate a cyclodextrin formulation as an alternative. A nanoparticle formulation is suggested by Soni et al. as a targeted delivery system to administer the drug buparvaquone in the treatment of theileriosis, a parasitic disease affecting cattle. One of the benefits of working in the veterinary area is that unlike human medicine, formulations can be tested immediately in the target species. Vandamme has used this approach to assess pulsed delivery of an anthelminthic in dairy cattle that releases levamisole hydrochloride during the season when larval infestation is highest, thus enabling more effective treatment. Such delayed release systems commonly rely on degradation of the dosage form in vivo to release the therapeutic agent. Guarnieri et al. in their study investigate the degradation of implants for subcutaneous administration and discuss the important issue of drug and implant residues in the subcutaneous space. Furthermore presented from the Guarnieri group is a study by Schildhaus et al. where they report on a new and simple method for restraining mice when conducting studies involving nociception. The use of plant extracts for their therapeutic effect is becoming increasingly of interest in human medicine. The final article of this special issue investigates the neuroprotective activity of a leaf extracts from the plant Clitorea ternatea in a model of diabetes-induced cognitive decline.
The Editors extend thanks to the authors for their interest in this Special Theme Issue and submitting their work to us - we value their contributions. We also thank the reviewers for their time and expertise to provide an appraisal of the manuscripts and their comments to help improve the quality of the submissions.
There is considerable scope for formulation scientists to provide valuable input into researching and developing drugs and delivery systems for application in veterinary medicine and to collaborate with animal health researchers in related disciplines. In the future, advances in the field of veterinary and indeed human, medicine and drug delivery will be enhanced by a multidisciplinary approach. It is hoped that this special theme issue on veterinary drug delivery may stimulate new endeavors in this fascinating area.