Abstract
Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems, which adhere to mucosal surfaces, facilitate prolonged retention and uniform release of active substances, enhancing therapeutic efficacy. These systems include adhesive patches, gels, tablets, films, discs, nanoparticles and microspheres. Polymers with mucoadhesive properties should be hydrophilic and possess sufficient functional groups to form hydrogen bonds. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) is a biocompatible hydrophilic polymer widely used as a biomaterial. Modification of PHEMA with various functional groups could potentially extend its application range. The purpose of this work is to chemically modify nonionic PHEMA (20 kDa) using 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-MPTS) to improve mucoadhesive properties, presenting a novel approach in the field. The methodology of this work includes the synthesis of PHEMA modified with 3-MPTS, determination of thiol group content, preparation and physicochemical characterisation of model tablets, evaluation of adhesive properties to ex vivo buccal tissues and drug release. The results indicated that the new method for synthesising thiolated PHEMA significantly enhanced adhesion compared to unmodified PHEMA. The use of an acidic catalyst increased the efficiency of this reaction, resulting in a polymer with greater thiol group content. The release of prochlorperazine from PHEMA-MPTS· tablets occurred over 40 minutes, which is significantly higher than the commercial product Bukastem. Conclusion. The developed buccal exhibited excellent mucoadhesive properties and prolonged drug release.