Title:Curcumin Intra-oral Controlled Release Films for Oral Candidiasis: A Comparative Study with Fluconazole, Elucidation of Release Mechanism
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Author(s): Anoop V. Narayanan *Shameema Banu
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics, NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, NITTE University, Paneer, Mangalore, Karnataka,India
Keywords:
Buccal, curcumin, candidiasis, antifungal, tensile strength, drug release, korsmeyer-peppas.
Abstract: Objective: This research work aimed to develop bucco-adhesive patches,
which release curcumin in the oral cavity for an extended duration thereby assisting in the
cure of oral thrush (candidiasis). Fluconazole containing patches were also developed in
order to compare the effectiveness of curcumin patches against Candida albicans.
Method: After suitable preformulation studies, five formulations of curcumin were prepared
using Eudragit S100 and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in varying ratios. Three batches
of fluconazole formulations were prepared without PVA. Patches were evaluated for their
physical properties and chemical integrity. Newer techniques were developed to determine
their bioadhesion and tensile strength. Sterile formulations of P3 and F2 were prepared
and compared for the antifungal activity against C. albicans, by zone of inhibition
method.
Results: All formulations exhibited satisfactory tensile strength ranging from 0.282 to
0.411 Kg/m2 with good folding endurance. Formulations containing higher amount of
PVP exhibited better bioadhesive strength. P3 formulation containing curcumin and F2
formulation of fluconazole were found to sustain the drug release upto 5 hours. An increasing
amount of PVA retarded the drug release. In antifungal studies, the zone of inhibition
for P3 patches was 19mm, and for F2 patches, it was 13mm, indicating a better in
vitro antifungal activity for curcumin against fluconazole. SEM analysis of P3 formulations
revealed continuous, non-porous but non homogenous structure of the polymer film.
Conclusion: The effectiveness of curcumin buccal patches in superior to fluconazole patches
was well demonstrated. Mathematical modelling of drug release data indicated a first order
anomalous transport causing the drug release. Kinetic modelling with zero, first order,
Higuchi and Korsmeyer- peppas are explained in this article.
