“Smart” Nanocomposites for Enhanced Oral Drug Delivery

Oral delivery is the most desirable route for drug administration because of its convenience and improved patient compliance. Delivery of drugs, particularly macromolecular drugs, through the oral route, however, faces several problems. Poor stability, solubility and permeability of these drugs often limit their bioavailability to sub-therapeutic concentrations. Nanocomposites have attracted increasing attention due to their ability to protect drugs from degradation in the GI tract and to improve penetration across the mucus barriers. Utilization of the mucoadhesive properties of biopolymers or the "stealth" properties of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been shown to further improve oral drug delivery. It is possible that a balance between the stealth and mucoadhesive properties of the nanocomposites would enhance oral drug bioavailability. The goal of our research is to elucidate the nature of the interaction between nanocomposite surfaces and biological membranes, through rheology measurements, and to use the understanding gained to optimize the oral delivery of drugs. Here we present our in vitro and in vivo analysis on the effects of surface properties, particle size, and composition on the mucoadhesive properties of nanocomposite materials.