In vitro and In vivo Evaluation of Propranolol Microspheres Loaded Buccal Gel

Abstract

The selected propranolol microsphere formulation, S6 was employed for gel formulation with a variety of polymers like Carbopol 934, HPMC and Sodium CMC by mechanical stirring method in order to develop a sustained release propranolol microspheres containing bioadhesive gel. The prepared bioadhesive gels were evaluated for pH, viscosity, %drug content, in vitro drug release studies, bioadhesion, ex vivo permeation studies, accelerated stability and in vivo bioavailability studies. From all the above studies FG3 was found to be optimized formulation. In vitro experiments indicated a sustained release of 98.92% over 12 h and an acceptable bioadhesion quality for formulation FG3. Optimized formulation was characterized for FTIR, SEM and stability studies and found to be stable. Propranolol Optimized formulation exhibited significant increased bioavailability in vivo when compared with marketed tablet. The drug release from the optimized formulation follows zero order kinetics with anomalous Non-fickian diffusion. In vivo studies revealed that Propranolol Optimized formulation FG3 exhibited significant increased bioavailability when compared with marketed product, due to reduced first pass metabolism, when it is administered by the buccal route. Hence, it can be concluded that the formulation FG3 has potential to deliver Propranolol in a controlled and constant manner for prolong period over other formulations and can be adopted for a successful delivery of propranolol for buccal use.