FORMULATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF CHITOSAN FILMS CONTAINING LINEZOLID FOR THE TREATMENT OF PERIODONTITIS

Abstract

The study was aimed to formulate a dental film containing linezolid, a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent which could be easily placed into the periodontal pocket and be capable of delivering therapeutic concentrations of drug for prolonged periods and also reducing the side effects. In the present investigation, chitosan strips containing linezolid in three different concentrations (10, 20, and 30 %w/w with respect to the weight of polymer) were prepared by the solvent casting method, by using 1 %V/V acetic acid solution. The prepared formulations were evaluated for various properties such as weight variation, thickness, folding endurance, moisture loss, tensile strength, in vitro release, release kinetic study and stability studies. The weight variation and thickness were found to be in the range of (0.99-1.58 mg) and (0.92-1.76 mm), the moisture content, folding endurance was found to be maximum for the plain film and minimum for the drug containing formulation. The tensile strength was found to be in the range of (2.44-1.43 kg/ mm2 ) for the formulation. The dissolution studies showed a burst release initially followed by a progressive fall in the release of the drug (91.15 - 95.87 %) and the release kinetics followed the zero-order pattern. The short term stability studies were conducted and there were no significant changes observed. Hence, low dose, site-specific linezolid film is a potential tool for the treatment of periodontitis.