Mucoadhesive Chitosan Microspheres For Non-Invasive And Improved Nasal Delivery of Insulin

Parenteral administration of proteins/peptides requires repeated injections because of their extremely short biological half-life. Daily multiple injections are highly risky and require close medical supervision. Therefore, the delivery of proteins and peptides by routes other than parenteral route h s gained much attention in recent years. As a drug delivery route, nasal cavity offers several possible advantages. The nasal epithelium is highly vascularized and offers a relatively large surface area for drug absorption. In addition the porous endothelial basement membrane and the direct transport of absorbed drugs into the systemic circulation, avoids the hepatic Þ rst-pass effect present in peroral administration. Further since the nasal membrane posses lower enzymatic activity compared with the gastrointestinal tract and the liver1.