Totally S-protected hyaluronic acid showing prolonged stability at physiological pH and under oxidative conditions could be successfully synthesized.
Totally S-protected hyaluronic acid showed a 52-fold higher viscosity when incubated with mucus compared to native hyaluronic acid.
The mucoadhesive properties of totally S-protected hyaluronic acid were confirmed by tensile test both in intestinal mucosa and palpebral conjunctiva.
Totally S-protected hyaluronic acid appears to be a promising excipient for the formulation of mucoadhesive liquid dosage forms.