Sustained Drug Delivery Using Mucoadhesive Microspheres: The Basic Concept, Preparation Methods and Recent Patents

Mucoadhesion is the most vital concept that is widely utilized in most of the novel drug delivery systems via mucosal membrane of buccal, nasal, digestive tract, etc when administered through oral, nasal or any other route. This review deals with the basic concept of sustained release mucoadhesive microspheres, their preparation methods, recent patents on sustained release microspheres and finally the various marketed formulations of microspheres. The mucoadhesive microspheres prepared by different techniques are widely used in sustained delivery of drugs with improved bioavailability and targeting efficacy. The listed patents contain the methods developed for microsphere preparation along with the encapsulated material that needs to be delivered. In short the patents listed here also gave the information of the polymers utilized for the microsphere preparation along with their therapeutic efficacy.