Abstract
Aims: Parkinson's disease (PD) affects over 10 million people around the world. Dysphagia is one of its main problems. Therefore, mucosal delivery is beneficial for patient compliance. This study aimed to synthesize mucoadhesive hyaluronic acid (HA) comprising rotigotine for the treatment of PD. Materials & methods: HA – a biocompatible, naturally occurring polysaccharide – was chemically modified with the thiol-bearing ligand cysteine ethyl ester via amide bond formation (HAC). HAC was evaluated in terms of stability, cytotoxicity, permeation enhancement, controlled drug release and mucoadhesiveness. Results: HAC showed 1.49-fold higher stability, 3.47-fold improved swelling capacity and 12.16-fold augmentation in mucoadhesion. Additionally, HAC exhibited 1.18-fold permeation enhancement over HA. Discussion: Taking the findings into consideration, HAC represents a pillar of mucosal buccal delivery in the treatment of PD.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the slaughterhouse Josef Mayr in Natters for the porcine mucosa.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.