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„Woher kommen Eier? Was frisst eine Ziege? Wie entsteht unsere Milch?“ Das sind nur einige Fragen, die Grundschüler immer häufiger stellen, wenn es um unsere Nahrungsmittel und die Landwirtschaft geht. Einem großen Teil unserer Bevölkerung sind viele Arbeitsabläufe in landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben nicht mehr bekannt, und das Wissen um den Ursprung der Nahrungsmittel und deren Weiterverarbeitung geht immer mehr verloren. Zudem wird in Kinderbüchern und Fernsehsendungen oft ein idyllisches und verfälschtes Bild von Landwirtschaft vermittelt, das mit dem Alltag auf dem Bauernhof kaum noch etwas zu tun hat. Um diese Wissensdefizite auszugleichen, wurde im Jahr 2000 die Initiative Bauernhof als Klassenzimmer vom Hessischen Ministerium für Umwelt, ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz gemeinsam mit dem Hessischen Bauernverband und dem Hessischen Kultusministerium ins Leben gerufen. Mittlerweile stehen für alle Interessierten in einem eigenen Internetportal (www.bauernhof-als-klassenzimmer-hessen.de) zahlreiche Informationen zum Herunterladen bereit. Auch Lehrerfortbildungen werden dokumentiert und die Suche nach landwirtschaftlichen Partnerbetrieben – vor allem in der eigenen Region – durch eine Adressenliste erleichtert.

Oral drug delivery is an attractive noninvasive alternative to injectables. However, oral delivery of biopharmaceuticals is highly challenging due to low stability during transit in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), resulting in low systemic bioavailability. Thus, novel formulation strategies are essential to overcome this challenge. An interesting approach is increasing retention in the GIT by utilizing mucoadhesive biomaterials as excipients. Here, we explored the potential of the GRAS excipient sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB) to obtain mucoadhesion in vivo. Mucoadhesive properties of a 90% SAIB/10% EtOH (w/w) drug delivery system (DDS) were assessed using a biosimilar mucus model and evaluation of rheological behavior after immersion in biosimilar intestinal fluid. To ease readability of this manuscript, we will refer to this as SAIB DDS. The effect of SAIB DDS on cell viability and epithelial membrane integrity was tested in vitro prior to in vivo studies that were conducted using SPECT/CT imaging in rats. When combining SAIB DDS with biosimilar mucus, increased viscosity was observed due to secondary interactions between biosimilar mucus and sucrose ester predicting considerable mucoadhesion. Mucoadhesion was confirmed in vivo, as radiolabeled insulin entrapped in SAIB DDS, remained in the small intestine for up to 22 h after administration. Moreover, the integrity of the system was investigated using the dynamic gastric model under conditions simulating the chemical composition of stomach fluid and physical shear stress in the antrum under fasted conditions. In conclusion, SAIB is an interesting and safe biomaterial to promote high mucoadhesion in the GIT after oral administration.

Oral drug delivery is an attractive noninvasive alternative to injectables. However, oral delivery of biopharmaceuticals is highly challenging due to low stability during transit in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), resulting in low systemic bioavailability. Thus, novel formulation strategies are essential to overcome this challenge. An interesting approach is increasing retention in the GIT by utilizing mucoadhesive biomaterials as excipients. Here, we explored the potential of the GRAS excipient sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB) to obtain mucoadhesion in vivo. Mucoadhesive properties of a 90% SAIB/10% EtOH (w/w) drug delivery system (DDS) were assessed using a biosimilar mucus model and evaluation of rheological behavior after immersion in biosimilar intestinal fluid. To ease readability of this manuscript, we will refer to this as SAIB DDS. The effect of SAIB DDS on cell viability and epithelial membrane integrity was tested in vitro prior to in vivo studies that were conducted using SPECT/CT imaging in rats. When combining SAIB DDS with biosimilar mucus, increased viscosity was observed due to secondary interactions between biosimilar mucus and sucrose ester predicting considerable mucoadhesion. Mucoadhesion was confirmed in vivo, as radiolabeled insulin entrapped in SAIB DDS, remained in the small intestine for up to 22 h after administration. Moreover, the integrity of the system was investigated using the dynamic gastric model under conditions simulating the chemical composition of stomach fluid and physical shear stress in the antrum under fasted conditions. In conclusion, SAIB is an interesting and safe biomaterial to promote high mucoadhesion in the GIT after oral administration.