Abstract

Mucoadhesive buccal films of propranolol hydrochloride were prepared by solvent casting technique using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxy ethyl cellulose (HEC), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (SCMC), polyvinyl pyrrolidone K-30 (PVP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in various proportions and combinations. Prepared films were evaluated for their weight, thickness uniformity, surface pH, swelling index, folding endurance, in-vitro residence time, in-vitro release and drug content uniformity. Ex-vivo permeation studies through the porcine buccal mucosa were performed on the selected formulations. Films exhibited sustained release over more than 6 h. The drug release from the films followed the zero order kinetics with matrix diffusion mechanism. From this study it is concluded that the films containing 20 mg propranolol hydrochloride in PVA: PVP (5 % w/v) in a 4:1 ratio (Formulation F16), showed moderate swelling, a convenient residence time and promising drug release.