Addressing the PEG Mucoadhesivity Paradox to Engineer Nanoparticles that “Slip” through the Human Mucus Barrier

Authors: Yingying Wang, Samuel K. Lai, Jung Soo Suk, Amanda Pace, Richard A. Cone, Justin Hanes - Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2008 cited by 589

Outsmarting the barrier: Conventional poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coated particles (green with light purple border) are immobilized in human mucus networks by adhesive interactions (red) with the mucus mesh (black lines). A dense, low molecular weight PEG coating (blue) uniquely endows nanoparticles with a mucoinert surface that enables their rapid mucus penetration (trajectory indicated by grey line).