Mucoadhesive microspheres for controlled drug delivery

Mucoadhesion is a topic of current interest in the design of drug delivery systems. Mucoadhesive microspheres exhibit a prolonged residence time at the site of application or absorption and facilitate an intimate contact with the underlying absorption surface and thus contribute to improved and/or better therapeutic performance of drugs. In recent years such mucoadhesive microspheres have been developed for oral, buccal, nasal, ocular, rectal and vaginal routes for either systemic or local effects. The objective of this article is review the principles underlying the development and evaluation of mucoadhesive microspheres and the research work carried out on these systems.