Chitosans as absorption enhancers for poorly absorbable drugs. 1: Influence of molecular weight and degree of acetylation on drug transport across human intestinal epithelial (Caco-2) cells.

Purpose. Chitosan has recently been demonstrated to effectively enhance the absorption of hydrophilic drugs such as peptides and proteins across nasal and intestinal epithelia (1–3). In this study, the effect of the chemical composition and molecular weight of chitosans on epithelial permeability and toxicity was investigated using monolayers of human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells as a model epithelium.