FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION FLURBIPROFEN SUSTAINED RELEASE MUCOADHESIVE MICROSPHERES USING NATURAL POLYMERS
Ajay Kumar Sah, Ankita Shukla
ABSTRACT
The present study was aimed at the formulation and characterization of Flurbiprofen sustained release mucoadhesive microspheres using chitosan as a natural polymer. Flurbiprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) widely used in the management of pain and inflammation; however, its conventional dosage forms require frequent administration and may produce gastrointestinal side effects. To overcome these limitations, mucoadhesive microspheres were developed to achieve prolonged gastric residence time and sustained drug release. The microspheres were prepared using suitable formulation techniques and evaluated for percentage yield, entrapment efficiency, stability in acidic medium, particle size, zeta potential, and in vitro drug release. The percentage yield of different formulations ranged from 68.74% to 76.65%, while entrapment efficiency ranged from 67.78% to 73.32%. Among all formulations, F3 showed the highest percentage yield and entrapment efficiency. Stability studies in 0.1 N HCl demonstrated that the microspheres maintained satisfactory integrity under acidic conditions. Particle size and zeta potential analysis confirmed the formation of stable microspheres with suitable physicochemical properties. In vitro drug release studies revealed that the plain drug exhibited rapid release, whereas chitosan microspheres showed sustained drug release over a period of 12 hours. The optimized formulation (F3) demonstrated 98.85% cumulative drug release at 12 hours. Release kinetic studies indicated that the optimized formulation followed zero-order release kinetics. The sustained release behavior was attributed to the mucoadhesive and gel-forming properties of chitosan. The results of the study suggest that chitosan-based mucoadhesive microspheres are promising carriers for sustained delivery of Flurbiprofen, offering prolonged drug release, improved stability, and potential enhancement in therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance.
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