Bilayer Buccal Tablets of Furosemide: Design and Evaluation

Aim: In the present study, mucoadhesive bilayer buccal tablets of furosemide were fabricated with the objective of avoiding first-pass metabolism and enhancing the bioavailability along with reducing the dosing frequency.

Methodology: Direct compression method was used to prepare bilayer buccal tablets of furosemide, with a combination of polymers such as xanthan gum, karaya gum, and guar gum along with Carbopol 934-P and ethylcellulose as the backing layer. In order to provide a unidirectional drug delivery to the mucosa and for drug loss avoidance that occurs when there is a washout with saliva, the bilayer structure design was used. Physical and biological parameters were measured for the designed tablets.

Results: FXG1 formulation containing xanthan gum, 1% and 2 % w/w of Carbopol 934p of matrix layer, and mannitol (15% w/w of matrix layer) used as a channeling agent was found to be assuring. This formulation exhibited 82.98% drug release in 8 h along with an acceptable strength of bioadhesion (5.40 g). Short-term stability studies on this formulation showed that no significant changes in drug content and dissolution characteristics existed (p<0.05). IR spectroscopic studies showed the absence of any drug-excipient interactions. The drug release was of zero order, whereas the value for release exponent (n) ranged from 0.787 to 1.063 which demonstrated a diffusion control super case II.

Conclusion: The prepared buccal tablets of furosemide persisted in the buccal cavity longer, indicating that mucoadhesive tablets of furosemide have a good potential for the treatment of edema and hypertension.

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Article information: H, Ambarish; SB, Shirsand; A, Fatima; and K, Sunil (2021) “Bilayer Buccal Tablets of Furosemide: Design and Evaluation,” Manipal Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://impressions.manipal.edu/mjps/vol7/iss1/5