The mucoadhesive nanoparticles (NPs) for oral delivery of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) were prepared using natural mucoadhesive polysaccharides, chitosan (CS), and dextran sulfate sodium salt (DS) in order to improve the solubility, cellular uptake, and thermo- and photostability of CoQ10. CoQ10-loaded NPs were prepared in the range of 340-450 nm with an entrapment efficiency of 60-98%. The mucoadhesiveness and cellular uptake of NPs were evaluated by measuring the amount of mucin adsorbed on NPs and CoQ10 absorbed in Caco-2 cells, respectively. CS/DS NPs had higher mucoadhesive strength than CS/sodium triphosphate pentabasic NPs (control group). Moreover, the solubility, cellular uptake, thermo- and photostability of CS/DS NPs were significantly improved compared with non-nanoencapsulated free CoQ10. Particularly, CS/DS NPs prepared with 0.5 mg/mL of CS and DS produced the highest mucoadhesiveness, solubility, cellular uptake, and cellular antioxidant activity. Thus, mucoadhesive CS/DS NPs may be an effective oral delivery platform for improving bioavailability of CoQ10.

The aim of this study was to formulate buccal mucoadhesive nanoparticles (NPs) using the natural mucoadhesive polymers. The natural mucoadhesive polymers chitosan (CS) and dextran sulfate sodium salt (DS) were used to prepare mucoadhesive NPs using the ionic gelation method. As the molecular weight of DS decreased, the amount of mucin and the number of buccal cells adsorbed on DS increased. The CS/DS NPs ranged from 100 to 200 nm in diameter. The adhesive interactions of CS/DS NPs with mucin were not significantly different from those of CS/sodium triphosphate pentabasic (TPP) NPs; however, CS/DS NPs exhibited 5 times greater mucoadhesive activity to buccal cells compared to control CS/TPP NPs in ex vivo adhesion tests. These results indicate that the buccal mucoadhesive properties of NPs can be improved using natural mucoadhesive polymers.