Wikipedia
Thiolated polymers or designated thiomers were first described by Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch et al. in 1999. One year later the same research group introduced the name thiomers. They are mucoadhesive polymers which display thiol group bearing side chains. In brief, low molecular mass thiol group bearing compounds are covalently bound to a polymeric backbone. This backbone consists of well-established and safe polymers such as chitosan or poly(acrylic acid). It has been demonstrated in various studies, that thiomers exhibit mucoadhesive, permeation enhancing, controlled release as well as enzyme and efflux pump inhibitory properties. These features make the thiomer technology highly interesting for non-invasive delivery routes, including in first instance the oral but also the nasal, buccal and vaginal route. Thiomers can be directly compressed to tablets or given as solutions. Furthermore thiomer based micro- and nanoparticles have already been developed.
Numerous original research and review articles as well as book contributions have been published in recent years: