Parag Lokhande

Bioadhesion can be defined as the process by which a natural or a synthetic polymer can adhere to a biological substrate. When the biological substrate is a mucosal layer then the phenomena is known as mucoadhesion. The substrate possessing bioadhesive property can help in devising a delivery system capable of delivering a bioactive agent for a prolonged period of time at a specific delivery site. The current review  provides  a good insight on mucoadhesive polymers, the phenomenon of mucoadhesion and the factors which have the ability to affect the mucoadhesive properties of a polymer. This review also considers the basic mechanisms by which mucoadhesive can adhere to a mucous membrane  in terms of the nature of the adhering surfaces and the forces that may be generated to secure them together. Mucosal adhesion is backed by several theories which include electronic, adsorption, wetting, diffusion, fracture and mechanical. Stages of mucoadhesion include contact stage and consolidation stage.