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Within this book, silicone oil thiomers are presented for the first time as (muco-)adhesive polymers with versatile possibilities. For thiolated silicone oil, an advanced mucoadhesion and thus increased residence time on mucosal surfaces as well as on skin is evident. The findings further point out that the thiolation of silicone oil provides new biomaterials with enhanced viscoelastic and cohesive features. The thiolation of silicone oil enhances skin barrier function and might render the polymers as suitable for long-term vitreous replacements. As these thiomers are very lipophilic, also a self-emulsifying drug delivery system was developed with outstanding antifoaming activity. Concerning novel therapeutic targets, it might be feasible to apply thiolated silicone oils in the therapy of damaged mucosal barriers, such inflammatory bowel diseases like colitis ulcerosa or Crohn s disease.

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Alexandra Partenhauser finished her studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the LMU Munich in 2013. After an internship in Istanbul, she subsequently started her PhD thesis at the LFU Innsbruck. Her main research focus was thiolated silicone oils and their evaluation in regard to targeted delivery systems.

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