{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T18:13:35Z","timestamp":1789841615617,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,19]],"date-time":"2022-07-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1658188800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Isra University (Amman, Jordan)","award":["I.u-27-2441"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["I.u-27-2441"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this study, mucoactive self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDSs) based on sustained release of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) were developed for providing effective intestinal mucopermeation. Polymeric ionic complexes of NAC were formed with polyethyleneimine (PEI), Eudragit E 100, and Eudragit RS 100 and loaded into a novel SEDDS. The SEDDSs exhibited a stable average size of 75 \u00b1 12 nm (polydispersity index (PDI) &lt; 0.3) and showed a rise in the zeta potential from \u221217.31 mV to \u22127.72 mV. On Caco-2 cells, SEDDSs at 1\u20133% were non-cytotoxic. An average of 91.8 \u00b1 5.4% NAC was released from SEDDSs containing Eudragit E 100 (p \u2264 0.05) and Eudragit RS 100 (p \u2264 0.001) complexes at a significantly slower rate within 80 min, whereas the SEDDS containing PEI released NAC in a matter of seconds. Similarly, the SEDDS complexes revealed a time-dependent reduction in mucus dynamic viscosity of 52.6 \u00b1 19.9%. Consequently, as compared with a blank SEDDS, mucodiffusion revealed about 2- and 1.8-fold significantly greater mucopermeation of SEDDSs anchoring Eudragit E 100\u2013NAC and RS 100\u2013NAC complexes (p \u2264 0.05), respectively. The mucoactive SEDDSs, which steadily released NAC while permeating the mucus, were linked to a significantly increased mucopermeation in vitro as a result of optimal mucolytic targeting.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27144611","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,19]],"date-time":"2022-07-19T23:10:22Z","timestamp":1658272222000},"page":"4611","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Development of Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems (SEDDSs) Displaying Enhanced Permeation of the Intestinal Mucus Following Sustained Release of Prototype Thiol-Based Mucolytic Agent Load"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Ahmad","family":"Malkawi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Cyprus International University, Nicosia 99258, Cyprus"},{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Queen Alya Airport Street, Amman 11622, Jordan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5541-8362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nasr","family":"Alrabadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Razan","family":"Haddad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan"},{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, AL-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman 19328, Jordan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Azhar","family":"Malkawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khaled","family":"Khaled","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Cyprus International University, Nicosia 99258, Cyprus"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Airemwen Collins","family":"Ovenseri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Cyprus International University, Nicosia 99258, Cyprus"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopha.2004.02.001","article-title":"Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) for improved oral delivery of lipophilic drugs","volume":"58","author":"Benita","year":"2004","journal-title":"Biomed. 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