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Synthetic mucus barrier arrays as a nanoparticle formulation screening platform
Harry Zou1, Allison Boboltz1, Yahya Cheema1
1Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|December 11, 2023
Summary
This study introduces a new method using synthetic mucus barriers to test nanoparticle drug delivery. Smaller, PEG-coated nanoparticles and TCEP as a permeation enhancer showed improved mucus penetration.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Drug Delivery
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Mucus barriers protect tissues but impede nanoparticle drug delivery.
- Optimizing nanoparticle properties is crucial for effective mucosal drug delivery.
- Previous work developed a tunable mucin-based hydrogel mimicking native mucus.
Conclusions:
- Established a novel high-throughput screening approach using synthetic mucus barrier arrays for optimizing nanoparticle drug delivery systems.
- Identified key nanoparticle design parameters (size, PEGylation) and a promising mucolytic agent (TCEP) for improved mucosal drug delivery.
- The developed platform enables efficient identification of nanoparticle formulations for enhanced drug delivery to mucosal tissues.
