Evaluation of the mucoadhesive properties of N-trimethyl chitosan chloride.

Previous studies have established that N-trimethyl chitosan chloride (TMC) is a potent absorption enhancer for peptides and large hydrophilic compounds across mucosal surfaces, especially in neutral and basic environments where chitosan is ineffective as an absorption enhancer. The degree of quaternization of TMC plays an important role on its absorption-enhancing properties. Several TMC polymers with different degrees of quaternization were synthesized and the molecular mass of the polymers was determined by SEC/MALLS.