Guluronate oligosaccharides as enhancers of nanoparticle drug delivery in the oral cavity

•Saliva is a significant barrier to buccal uptake of nanoparticles/biological.•Addition of guluronate oligomers (G-blocks) reduces particle aggregation and increases particle mobility in saliva.•Decreased aggregation and increased mobility quantified applying CLSM methods.•G-blocks may enhance buccal/mucosal exposure to, and uptake of, large biologicals and nanoparticles.

Guluronate oligomers have been shown to modify the gastrointestinal mucus barrier and improve nanoparticle penetration. Here we investigate the effect of guluronate oligomers on nanoparticle mobility in saliva, a central extracellular barrier in the oral cavity. Guluronate oligomers reduced nanoparticle aggregation in saliva and improved nanoparticle mobility over and above that which would be expected to result from the decrease in size. As such guluronate oligomers may be of interest for nanomedicine delivery in the oral cavity.

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