Revolutionary hollow bodies made of mucus: medicine of the future?

Revolutionary hollow bodies made of mucus: medicine of the future?

Researchers of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an innovative system for drug delivery that uses micro-hollow bodies made of mucus and polydopamine. This new technology simplifies access to hard-to-reach areas of the body, such as the oral mucosa or joint cartilage. The manufacturing method for the hollow bodies is not only simple, but also scalable.

The main component of these micro-hollow bodies is mucin, which occurs in natural mucus. Mucin allows the pore sizes to be adjusted and at the same time functions as a natural lubricant. Oliver Lieleg, Professor of Biopolymer Materials at TUM, and his team emphasize the versatility of the developed system, which supports the controlled release of active ingredients.

The multifunctional ball

The researchers' latest achievement is a multifunctional sphere that contains both mucin and polydopamine. This sphere allows for a gradual release of active ingredients in difficult-to-adhere areas of the body, which revealed a remarkable adhesive effect in tests on animal tissue samples. This adhesion is primarily due to the properties of polydopamine, an adhesive polymer that allows for a strong bond to difficult surfaces.

One of the crucial properties of the micro-hollow bodies is their porous surface, which enables effective loading with various active ingredients. These can be protected by additional sealing, for example with silver ions, which enables control over the release of active ingredients. The slow release depends on both the sealing material and the biological environment.

Areas of application and future perspectives

The ability to incorporate silver ions into the hollow bodies could potentially promote cell-destructive properties and also prove useful in the treatment of tumors. Alternatively, the hollow bodies without silver ions show anti-inflammatory properties, which are particularly important in osteoarthritis or chronic wounds.

The combination of mucin and polydopamine therefore represents a flexible system that can either protect or destroy cells, depending on the clinical application. According to Lieleg, this development opens up new perspectives for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, wounds and tumors. The results of this pioneering research are in the journalSmallbeen published.