INEB RECENT PUBLICATION: Mucoadhesive polymers in the design of nano-drug delivery systems for administration by non-parenteral routes: A review
INEB researchers recently published an article in the scientific journal Progress in Polymer Science (IF: 27), available since 1st August 2014.
TITLE: Mucoadhesive polymers in the design of nano-drug delivery systems for administration by non-parenteral routes: A review
AUTHORS: Alejandro Sosnik, José das Neves, Bruno Sarmento
The mucus layer, covering the surface of diverse organs (lungs, vagina, intestine, etc), can be exploited in drug delivery systems (DDS) to increase local and/or systemic bioavailability by prolonging residence time at the site of administration. The improved pharmacokinetics obtained with mucoadhesive DDS aims to overcome the drawbacks associated with oral administration and to maintain robust patient compliance. This thorough review, resulting from a long collaboration with the Sosnik group at the Technion Institute in Israel, discusses the molecular features of mucosae and mucosal interactions with natural and synthetic polymer-based micro- and nano-DDS, and concludes with the main pharmaceutical applications of mucoadhesive nano-DDS in the different mucosal routes of administration.