A Novel Preparation Technique for Human Nasal Respiratory Mucosa to Disclose Its Glycosylation Pattern for Bioadhesive Drug Delivery
Julia Clara Gausterer,
Michael Schlager,
Navid Ahmadi,
Michael Nieratschker,
Valerie Dahm,
Michael Wirth,
Christoph Arnoldner,
Clemens Honeder,
Franz Gabor
Affiliations
Julia Clara Gausterer
Division of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Michael Schlager
Division of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Navid Ahmadi
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Michael Nieratschker
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Valerie Dahm
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Michael Wirth
Division of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Christoph Arnoldner
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Clemens Honeder
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Franz Gabor
Division of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
To shed some light on glycotargeting as a potential strategy for nasal drug delivery, a reliable preparation method for human nasal mucosa samples and a tool to investigate the carbohydrate building blocks of the glycocalyx of the respiratory epithelium are required. Applying a simple experimental setup in a 96-well plate format together with a panel of six fluorescein-labeled lectins with different carbohydrate specificities allowed for the detection and quantification of accessible carbohydrates in the mucosa. As confirmed by binding experiments at 4 °C, both quantitatively by fluorimetry and qualitatively by microscopy, the binding of wheat germ agglutinin exceeded that of the others by 150% on average, indicating a high content of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and sialic acid. Providing energy by raising the temperature to 37 °C revealed uptake of the carbohydrate-bound lectin into the cell. Moreover, repeated washing steps during the assay gave a slight hint as to the influence of mucus renewal on bioadhesive drug delivery. All in all, the experimental setup reported here for the first time is not only a suitable approach to estimating the basics and potential of nasal lectin-mediated drug delivery but also meets the needs for answering a broad variety of scientific questions involving the use of ex vivo tissue samples.