Calcium-oligochitosan-pectin microcarrier for colonic drug delivery.

Pectin-based hydrogel microcarriers have shown promise for drug delivery to the colonic region. Microcarriers must remain stable throughout the upper gastrointestinal tract for effective colonic delivery, an issue that traditional pectin-based microcarriers have faced. The positively-charged natural biopolymer oligochitosan and divalent cation Ca were used to dually cross-link pectin-based hydrogel microcarriers to improve carrier stability through simulated gastric and intestinal environments.