Preparation of lidocaine hydrochloride containing chitosan-based buccal films for mucositis: In-vitro evaluation and cytotoxicity assay
Esra Demirtürk, Tilbe Çevikelli, Umay Merve Güven, Tuğçe Boran, Gül ÖzhanBackground and Aims: The aim of this study was to prolong the anesthetic effect of lidocaine (LC) in the oral cavity for use in the treatment of oral mucositis and to compare the in vitro characteristics of the film formulations prepared by using either chitosan extracted from Metapenaeus stebbingi (M. stebbingi) or commercial chitosan.
Methods: In this study, the in vitro properties of the film formulations extracted and prepared with commercial chitosan were successfully compared with the addition of different types and amounts of plasticizer and cross-linking agent. In the evaluation of the formulations, different parameters such as structure, thickness, degree of swelling, moisture content, drug content, texture profile analysis, release kinetics according to the in vitro drug release, and cytotoxicity evaluation were taken into consideration.
Results: Films prepared using chitosan extracted with 5% glycerol addition showed the highest strength and lowest elongation properties compared to other films (p<0.05). The thickness of the films varied between 500-1400 µm in all formulations. While it was observed that formulations prepared with medium molecular weight commercial chitosan had high surface roughness, the lowest swelling degree was observed for these formulations (77.41 ± 3.65-84.76 ± 6.34). The highest degree of swelling was calculated for the formulations prepared with extracted chitosan (137.23 ± 7.86). The in vitro dissolution rate results demonstrated that the increase in the molecular weight of chitosan caused a decrease in the release rate of lidocaine, while at the same time, formulations with added crosslinking agents exhibited a slower release profile. Cytotoxicity studies revealed cell viability at different polymer concentrations.
Conclusion: All the in vitro characterization results showed that extracted chitosan from M. stebbingi shells can be a good alternative for pharmaceutical use.