Mucoadhesion on urinary bladder mucosa: the influence of sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions

The aim of the present work was to establish if different cations present in the lumen of the urinary bladder at the time of application affect the mucoadhesion strength of cationic chitosan, anionic sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC), and nonionic hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC). The mucoadhesion strength of polymeric films was determined on pig urinary bladder mucosa. Sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions decreased the mucoadhesion strength of all three polymers except NaCMC, whose detachment forces were not influenced by the presence of sodium. Lower mucoadhesion strength in the presence of cations should be considered when drug delivery systems, for example microspheres, containing the tested mucoadhesive polymers are applied intravesically. In the majority of the experiments, cations decreased the mucoadhesion strength of the polymers already in concentrations normally present in urine. For stronger mucoadhesion, application of microspheres into the empty urinary bladder would be recommended. Additionally, the mucoadhesion properties of the tested polymers could be controlled by the selection of a proper medium for the suspension of microspheres. Namely, for all three polymers bivalent calcium and magnesium had stronger influence on mucoadhesion compared to univalent sodium, and with increasing concentrations of cations mucoadhesion strength of the polymers decreased.