Sunena Jha

Mucoadhesive dosage forms may be designed to enable prolonged retention at the site of application, providing a controlled rate of drug release for better therapeutic results. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems are used to prolong the residence time of the dosage form at the site of application or absorption and to facilitate intimate contact of the dosage form with the underlying absorption surface to improve and enhance the bioavailability of drug. Some of the promising plymers that have been commonly used in these systems include polycarbophil, carbopol, lectins, chitosan, carboxymethylcellulose, pectin, carragenan, alginic acid, polylysine, polybrene, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone , dextran etc. Now  scientists are developing mucoadhesive micro and nanoparticulate systems by using  novel mucoadhesive polymers for better therapeutic results and site specific targeting with lesser side effects. Improvements in mucoadhesive based oral delivery and, in particular, the development of novel, highly-effective and mucosa-compatible polymers, are creating new commercial and clinical opportunities for delivery of narrow absorption window drugs at the target site to maximize their efficacy. This review is an effort to provide information on such mucoadhesive drug delivery systems that are developed for oral, buccal, nasal, rectal and vaginal routes for both systemic and local effect.