Full Text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Biopolymers have several advantages for the development of drug delivery systems, since they are biocompatible, biodegradable and easy to obtain from renewable resources. However, their most notable advantage may be their ability to adhere to biological tissues. Many of these biopolymers have ionized forms, known as polyelectrolytes. When combined, polyelectrolytes with opposite charges spontaneously form polyelectrolyte complexes or multilayers, which have great functional versatility. Although only one natural polycation—chitosan has been widely explored until now, it has been combined with many natural polyanions such as pectin, alginate and xanthan gum, among others. These polyelectrolyte complexes have been used to develop multiple mucoadhesive dosage forms such as hydrogels, tablets, microparticles, and films, which have demonstrated extraordinary potential to administer drugs by the ocular, nasal, buccal, oral, and vaginal routes, improving both local and systemic treatments. The advantages observed for these formulations include the increased bioavailability or residence time of the formulation in the administration zone, and the avoidance of invasive administration routes, leading to greater therapeutic compliance.

Details

Title
Naturally Occurring Polyelectrolytes and Their Use for the Development of Complex-Based Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Systems: An Overview
Author
Cazorla-Luna, Raúl  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Martín-Illana, Araceli; Notario-Pérez, Fernando  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ruiz-Caro, Roberto  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
2241
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20734360
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2554779178
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.