Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jun 3;26(5):156.
doi: 10.1208/s12249-025-03154-z.

Recent Advances in Development of Buccal Formulations: From Small to Macromolecules

Affiliations
Review

Recent Advances in Development of Buccal Formulations: From Small to Macromolecules

Vrundakumari R Solanki et al. AAPS PharmSciTech. .

Abstract

Buccal drug delivery offers a promising alternative to conventional oral administration, bypassing hepatic first-pass metabolism and gastric degradation that often limit drug bioavailability. This review explores the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the buccal mucosa that make it amenable to drug absorption, examining key formulation strategies including Quality by Design (QbD) principles, the use of mucoadhesive polymers, and permeation enhancers. The review further highlights recent advancements in buccal drug delivery systems, with a particular focus on nanotechnology-based approaches for enhancing the delivery of small as well as macromolecules and biologics. A comprehensive literature analysis demonstrates the potential of buccal delivery to improve therapeutic outcomes by leveraging the unique properties of the buccal mucosa and optimizing drug absorption through advanced formulation design and innovative technologies.

Keywords: Biologics; Buccal Dosage Forms; Buccal Drug Delivery; Mucoadhesion; Polymers; QbD.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate: No ethical approval was required for this review article. Consent for Publication: All authors have read and agreed to publish this manuscript. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

References

    1. Homayun B, Lin X, Choi HJ. Challenges and recent progress in oral drug delivery systems for biopharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutics [Internet]. 2019;11. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics11030129
    1. Shakya AK, Al-Najjar BO, Deb PK, Naik RR, Tekade RK. First-Pass Metabolism Considerations in Pharmaceutical Product Development. Dos Form Des Considerations Vol I [Internet]. Elsevier Inc.; 2018. p. 259–86. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814423-7.00008-3
    1. Stielow M, Witczyńska A, Kubryń N, Fijałkowski Ł, Nowaczyk J, Nowaczyk A. The Bioavailability of Drugs—The Current State of Knowledge. Molecules [Internet]. 2023;28. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28248038
    1. Pathak K, Raghuvanshi S. Oral Bioavailability: Issues and Solutions via Nanoformulations. Clin Pharmacokinet [Internet]. 2015;54:325–57. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40262-015-0242-x
    1. Hao J, Heng PWS. Buccal delivery systems. Drug Dev Ind Pharm [Internet]. 2003;29:821–32. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1081/DDC-120024178

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources