Buccal
Drug Delivery System-A Novel Drug Delivery System
Debjit
Bhowmik1*, K.P. Sampath Kumar2,
Lokesh Deb3
1Himachal Institute of Pharmacy Education and Research Naudan Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh
2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Coimbatore
Medical College, Coimbatore
3Medicinal Plants and Horticultural Resources Division,
Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable
Development. (IBSD), Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Takylpat, Imphal, Manipur
*Corresponding Author E-mail: debjit_cr@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Buccal delivery is defined as drug administration
through the mucosal membranes lining the cheeks (buccal
mucosa).The main impediment to the use of many hydrophilic macromolecular drugs
as potential therapeutic agents is their inadequate and erratic oral
absorption. The future challenge of pharmaceutical scientists is to develop
effective non-parenteral delivery of intact proteins
and peptides to the systemic circulation. Based on our current understanding of
biochemical and physiological aspects of absorption and metabolism of many
biotechnologically- produced drugs, they cannot be delivered effectively
through the conventional oral route. Because after oral administration many
drugs are subjected to presystemic clearance
extensive in liver, which often leads to a lack of significant correlation
between membrane permeability, absorption, and bioavailability.
KEY
WORDS: Buccal
delivery, bioadhesion bioavailability.
Introduction:
In recent years, significant interest has been shown
in the development of novel bioadhesive dosage forms
for mucosal delivery of drugs that attempt to overcome these limitations1. The
term ‘bioadhesive’ describes materials that bind to
biological substrate, such as mucosal membranes.Adhesion
of bioadhesive drug delivery devices to mucosal
membranes lead to an increased drug concentration gradient at the absorption
site and therefore improved bioavailability of systemically delivered drug. In
addition, bioadhesive dosage forms have been used to
target local disorder at the mucosal surface (e.g. mouth ulcers) to reduce the
overall dosage required and minimize side-effects that may be cpused by systemic administration of drugs.
Drug absorption into the oral mucosa is mainly via
passive diffusion into the lipoidal membrane.
Compounds with partition coefficient in the range 40-2000 and pKa 2-10 are considered optimal to be absorbed
through buccal mucosa. Compounds administered by buccal route include steroids, barbiturates, papain, and trypsin etc1.Drugs
can be absorbed from the oral cavity through the oral mucosa either by
sublingual or buccal route. Absorption of therapeutic
agents from these routes overcomes premature drug degradation within the
gastrointestinal tract as well as active drug loss due to first-pass hepatic
metabolism that may be associated with oral route of administration3.In
general, rapid absorption from these routes is observed because of the thin
mucus membrane and rich blood supply. After absorption, drug is transported
through the deep lingual vein or facial vein which then drains into the general
circulation via the jugular vein, bypassing the liver and thereby sparing the
drug from first-pass metabolism1,2.Since sublingual administration
of drugs interferes with eating, drinking and talking, this route is generally
considered unsuitable for prolonged administration. On the other hand, the
duration of buccal drug administration can be
prolonged with saliva activated adhesive polymers without the problems of
sublingual administration1,2.
Within the oral mucosal cavity, delivery of drugs can
be classified into three categories:
·
Sublingual
delivery, which is systemic delivery of drugs through the mucosal membranes
lining the floor of the mouth
·
Buccal delivery, which is drug administration through the mucosal membranes
lining the cheeks (buccal mucosa)
·
Local
delivery, which is drug delivery into the oral cavity.
1 ORAL MUCOSA AS A SITE OF
DRUG ABSORPTION1, 4:
The oral mucosa can be divided into two general
regions, the outer vestibule and the oral cavity. The vestibule is bounded on
the outside by the lips and cheeks and on the inside by the upper and lower
dental arches. The oral cavity is situated within the dental arches framed on
the top by the hard and soft palates and on the bottom by the tongue and floor
of the mouth. The oral mucosa consists of an outermost layer of stratified squamous epithelium, below which lies a basement membrane,
and below this, in turn, a lamina propria and
submucosa.
Fig.
1:
Schematic diagram of the oral mucosa5
The oral mucosa can be distinguished according to five
major regions in the oral cavity6:
Ø The floor of the mouth (sublingual region)
Ø The buccal mucosa
(cheeks)
Ø The gum (ginigiva)
Ø The palatal mucosa
Ø The inner side of the lips.
a) Epithelial Lining3- 5:
Epithelial lining provides a protective surface layer
between the oral environment and the deeper tissue. It has a squamous epithelium of tightly packed cells that form distinct
layers by a process of maturation from the deeper layers to the surface. The
surface layer of the hard palate and
tongue forms keratin to yield a tough, nonflexible epithelial surface
resistant to abrasion, but the epithelium of the cheek, floor of the mouth and soft palate is nonkeratinized and
facilitates distensibility. The thickness of the oral
epithelium which is partly keratinized considerably between sites as shown in
given table below3:
Table
1: Average
epithelial thickness of oral mucosa3
Tissue |
Structure |
Epithelial thickness (µm) |
Blood Flow (ml.min-1.cm-2) |
Buccal |
non-keratinised |
500-600 |
2.40 |
Sublingual |
non-keratinised |
100-200 |
0.97 |
Gingival |
keratinised |
200 |
1.47 |
Palatal |
keratinised |
250 |
0.89 |
b) Basement Membrane and
Connective Tissues 4:
The basement membrane is a continuous layer of
extracellular material, forming the boundary between the basal layer of the
epithelium and the connective tissue of the lamina propria
and sub-mucosa. It forms barrier to the
passage of cells and some large molecules across the mucosa. Below the basement
membrane lies the lamina propria, a continuous sheet
of connective tissue containing collagen, elastic fibers and cellular
components in a hydrated ground substance. It also carries blood capillaries
and nerve fibers that serve that mucosa.
c) Secretions4, 6:
The secretions of the oral mucosa, mucus and saliva
help to maintain the surface moist. This hydration enhances permeability of the
membrane to drugs. The chief secretion is supplied by three pairs of glands,
namely, the parotid (under and in front of the ear), the sub-maxillary (below
the jaw) and the sublingual (under the tongue) glands. Mucus has the following
general composition4:
Table
2: Secretions
of the oral mucosa6
Sr.No. |
Composition |
Percentage |
1 |
Water |
95% |
2 |
Glycoproteins and lipids |
0.5-5% |
3 |
Mineral salts |
1% |
4 |
Free proteins |
0.5-1% |
The presence of saliva in the mouth is important to
drug absorption for two main reasons6:
Ø Drug permeation across moist (mucus)
membranes occurs much more readily than across nonmucus
membranes. For example compare to drug absorption across the gastrointestinal
tract and skin.
Ø Drugs are commonly administered to the
mouth in the clinical trials in a solid form. The drug must therefore first
dissolve in saliva before it can be absorbed across the oral mucosa. That is,
the drug cannot be absorbed directly from a tablet.
d) Vascular System of the
Oral Mucosa4, 6:
The blood supply to the mouth is delivered principally
via the external carotid artery. The maxillary artery is the major branch, and
the two minor branches are the lingual and facial arteries. The lingual artery
and its branch, the sublingual artery supplies blood to the tongue, the floor
of the mouth, and the gingiva. The facial artery
supplies blood to the lips and soft palate and the maxillary artery supplies to
the main cheek, hard palate, and the maxillary and mandibular
gingiva.
The three main veins draining the mouth are the deep
lingual vein, the facial vein, and the maxillary vein. The internal jugular vein eventually receives
almost all the blood derived from the mouth and pharynx. Clearly, the mucus
membranes of the buccal cavity are highly vascular
nature, and drugs diffusing across the membranes have easy access to the
systemic circulation via the internal jugular vein.
The oral mucosa is also supplied by an extensive
lymphatic system, the function of which is to return extravasated
macromolecules and fluids to the circulation.
FACTORS INFLUENCING DRUG
ABSORPTION FROM THE ORAL CAVITY4, 6:
As the oral
mucosa is a highly vascular tissue, the main factors that influence drug
absorption from the mouth are:
a) The permeability of the oral mucosa to the
drug.
b) Physicochemical characteristics of the drug
and
c) Miscellaneous factors
a) Permeability of the oral
mucosa to drugs 1, 4, 6:
Permeability of the buccal
mucosa is 4-4000 times greater than that of the skin. As indicated by a wide
range in this reported values, there are considerable differences in
permeability between different regions of the oral cavity. In general, permeability of the oral mucosa
decreases in the order of sublingual greater than buccal
and buccal greater than palatal. This is based on the
relative thickness and degree of keratinization of
these tissues.
The keratin layer is an effective barrier to
penetration of human skin by water soluble substances. The permeability
barriers of the oral mucosa are supposed to reside within the superficial
layers of the epithelium. It has been shown that for some compounds the barrier
to penetration is not the upper one third of the epithelium. Alfano and his coworkers studied the penetration of endotoxins through non-keratinized oral mucosa. The results
indicated that the basement membrane is a rate limiting barrier to permeation.
Some workers have suggested that the permeability
barrier in the oral mucosa is a result of intercellular material derived from
the so-called “Membrane Coating Granules” (MCGs). The barriers exist in the
intermediate cell layers of many stratified epithelia and are of 100-300 nm in
diameter1.
Other factors which may affect the permeability of
molecules include exogenous substances placed in the mouth for their local
effects, such as mouthwashes and toothpastes, which contain surfactants and
nutritional deficiencies.
b) Physicochemical
characteristics of the drug6:
The various physicochemical characters that play an
important role in absorption of drug from the oral cavity are considered below:
i)
Molecular weight:
Molecules penetrate the oral mucosa more rapidly than
ions and smaller molecules more rapidly than larger molecules. In case of
hydrophilic substances, the rate of absorption appears to be rapid for small
molecules (molecular weight less than 75-100 Da), but
permeability falls off rapidly as the molecular size increases.
ii) Degree of
ionization:
The average pH of saliva is 6.4. Because the
un-ionized form of a drug is the lipid-soluble-diffusible form, the pKa of the drug plays an important role in its
absorption. Adequate absorption through the oral mucosa occurs if the pKa is greater than 2 for an acid or less than
10 for a base.
iii) Lipid solubility:
A common way of assessing the lipid solubility of a
drug is to measure its oil-water partition coefficient. Partition coefficient
between 40-2000 is necessary for optimal drug absorption. If the partition
co-efficient exceeds 2000, solubility in the saliva is insufficient to provide
the concentration gradient necessary for drug absorption. That is in addition
to high lipid solubility, the drug should be soluble in aqueous buccal fluids for absorption.
iv) pH of the saliva :
The saliva pH ranges from 5.5 to 7 depending on the
flow rate. At high flow rates, the sodium and bicarbonate concentration
increases leading to and increase in the pH. Absorption is
maximum at the un-ionized form of drug in pH of saliva.
c) Miscellaneous:
i) Binding to oral mucosa:
Systemic availability of drugs that bind to oral
mucosa is poor.
ii) Storage
Compartment:
A storage compartment in the buccal mucosa
appears to exist which is responsible for the slow absorption of drugs.
iii) Thickness of oral epithelium:
Sublingual absorption is faster than buccal since the epithelium of former region is thinner and
immersed in a larger volume of saliva.
MECHANISM OF BUCCAL
ABSORPTION6, 7:
Fig.
2: Comparative
Drug Absorption between Oral and Buccal Route
As shown in fig.2 buccal
route provides the potential pathway to bypass first-pass effect following oral
administration. The mechanisms by which drugs cross biologic lipid membranes
are passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, active transport and pinocytosis. Among these, majority of drugs move across
oral mucosa by passive mechanism which is governed by the laws of diffusion.
In case of simple diffusion, two potential routes of
drug transport are the paracellular or aqueous pore
pathway and transcellular or lipoidal
pathway, as shown in fig.3.
Fig.
3 Trans-membrane
permeation across a mucosal membrane.
The para-cellular route
involves the passage of molecules through intercellular space, while tran-scellular route involves transport into and across
cells. Substances with high lipid solubility are expected to cross the oral
mucosa by lipoidal pathway, while water-soluble
substances and ions are expected to cross the oral mucosa by aqueous pore
pathway. Although passive diffusion is the major transport mechanism for drugs,
the absorption of nutrients from the mouth has been shown to involve carrier
systems.
BIOADHESION AND MUCOADHESION 1,3,4,7:
The term bioadhesion refers
to any bond formed between two biological surfaces or a bond between a
biological and a synthetic surface. In the case of bioadhesive
drug delivery systems, it is a bond formed between polymers and soft tissues.
If the bond is formed between mucus and polymer, it is described as mucoadhesion.
Although the target of many bioadhesive
delivery systems may be a soft tissue cell layer (i.e. epithelial cells), the
actual adhesive bond may form with either the cell layer, a mucous layer or a
combination of the two. In instances in which bonds form between mucus and
polymer, the term mucoadhesion is used synonymously
with bioadhesion. In general, bioadhesion
is an all-inclusive term used to describe adhesive interactions with any
biological or biologically derived substance, and mucoadhesion
is used only when describing a bond involving mucus or a mucosal surface.
a) Mechanism of
Bioadhesion3, 4:
The mechanisms responsible for the
formation of bioadhesive bonds are not completely
clear. Most research has been focused on analyzing bioadhesive
interactions between polymer hydrogels and soft
tissues.
Mechanism of bioadhesion can
be described in three successive steps:
1. Wetting and swelling of polymer to permit
intimate contact with biological tissue.
2. Interpenetration of bioadhesive
polymer chains and entanglement of
polymer and mucin chains and
3. Formation of weak chemical bonds between
entangled chains.
The figure no.4 shows the schematic presentation of
steps involved in bioadhesion
Fig.
4:
Schematic presentation of steps involved in bioadhesion.
Following are the some of
polymer characteristics that are required to obtain adhesion7:
Ø Sufficient quantities of hydrogen- bonding
chemical groups (-OH and COOH).
Ø Anionic surface charges
Ø High molecular weight
Ø High chain flexibility and
Ø Surface tension that will induce spreading
into the mucus layer.
Each of these characteristics favors the formation of
bonds that are either chemical or mechanical in origin1,4,8.
Chemical
bonds include strong
primary bonds (i.e. covalent bonds), as well as weaker secondary forces such as
ionic bonds, vander-Waals interactions and hydrogen
bonds. Both types of interactions have been exploited in developing bioadhesive drug delivery systems
Mechanical
bonds can be thought of as
physical connections between surfaces, similar to interlocking puzzle pieces.
Macroscopically, they involve the inclusion of one substance in the cracks or
crevices of another. On a microscopic scale, they can involve physical
entanglement of mucin strands with flexible polymer
chains and/or interpenetration of mucin strands into
a porous polymer substrate.
b) Theories
of Bioadhesion1,4, 8:
Following are the theories that have been adopted to
study bioadhesion.
i)
The Electronic Theory:
According to this theory, electron transfer occurs
upon contact of an adhesive polymer with a mucus glycoprotein network because
of differences in their electronic structures. This results in the formation of
an electrical double layer at the interface. Adhesion occurs due to attractive
forces across the double layer.
ii) The
Adsorption Theory:
According to this theory, after an initial contact
between two surfaces, the material adheres because of surface forces acting
between the atoms in the two surfaces. Two types of chemical bonds resulting
from these forces are:
Ø Primary chemical bonds of covalent nature.
Ø Secondary chemical bonds having many
different forces of attraction including electrostatic forces, Vander Waals
forces, and hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds.
iii) The
Wetting Theory:
This theory describes the ability of mucus to spread
and develop intimate contact with its corresponding substrate which is one
important factor in bond formation. The wetting theory uses interfacial
tensions to predict spreading and in turn adhesion.
iv) The
Diffusion Theory:
According to this theory the polymer chains and the
mucus mix to a sufficient depth to create a semi permanent adhesive bond. The
exact depth to which the polymer chains penetrate the mucus depends on the
diffusion coefficient and the time of contact. This diffusion coefficient, in
turn, depends on the value of molecular weight between cross-links and
decreases significantly as the linking density increases.
v) The
Fracture Theory:
This theory analyzes the forces required to separate
two surfaces after adhesion. The maximum tensile stress produced during
detachment can be determined by dividing the maximum force of detachment by the
total surface area involved in the adhesive interaction. It does not require measuring
entanglement, diffusion or interpenetration of polymer chains.
FACTORS AFFECTING
MUCOADHESION1, 4, 8:
The mucoadhesive power of a
polymer is affected by the nature of polymer and also by the nature of
surrounding medium.
a) Polymer Related Factors:
i)
Molecular weight:
For the successful mucoadhesion,
the molecular weight of polymer should be at least 100000. For example,
polyethylene glycol (PEG), with a molecular weight of 20000 has a little
adhesive character, where as PEG-200000 has improved and a PEG-400000 has
superior adhesive properties. Thus mucoadhesiveness
improves with increasing molecular weight for linear polymers.
ii) Concentration:
There is an optimum concentration of a mucoadhesive polymer to produce maximum mucoadhesion.
In highly concentrated systems, the adhesive strength drops significantly,
because the coiled molecules become separated from the medium so that the
chains available for interpenetration become limited.
iii) Chain flexibility:
This factor is important in case of interpenetration
and entanglement. As water soluble polymers become cross linked, mobility of
individual polymer chains decrease and thus the effective length of the chain
that can penetrate into the mucus layer decreases, which reduces mucoadhesive strength.
b) Environment – Related
Factors:
i)
pH:
pH can influence the charge on the surface of mucus as
well as of certain ionisable mucoadhesive
polymers. Some studies have shown that the pH of the medium is important for
the degree of hydration of crosslinked polyacrylic acid, showing consistently increased hydration
from pH 4 through pH 7 and then a decrease as alkalinity and ionic strength
increases.
ii) Contact
Time:
Contact time between the mucoadhesive and mucus layer determines the extent of
swelling and interpenetration of the mucoadhesive
polymer chains. Moreover, mucoadhesive strength
increases as the initial contact time increases.
iii) Swelling:
Swelling depends on the polymer concentration, ionic
strength, as well as presence of water. During the dynamic process of mucoadhesion, maximum mucoadhesion
occurs with optimum water content. Over-hydration results in the formation of a
wet slippery mucilage without adhesion.
iv) Physiological variables
like, mucin properties, turnover and disease states:
The extent of interaction between the polymer and the
mucus depends on mucus viscosity, degree of entanglement and water content. How
long the mucoadhesive remains at the site depends on
whether polymer is soluble or insoluble in water and the associated turnover
rate of mucin. Estimates of mucin
turnover vary widely, depending on location and method of measurement.
MUCOADHESIVE POLYMERS 1,
5,6,:
Mucoadhesive polymers are water soluble and water insoluble
polymers which are swellable networks jointed by
cross linking agents. The polymers should possess optional polarity to make
sure it is sufficiently wetted by the mucus and optimal fluidity that permits
the mutual adsorption and interpenetration of polymer and mucus to take place.
An ideal polymer for a mucoadhesive drug delivery
system should have the following characteristics.
1. The polymer and its degradation products
should be nontoxic and nonabsorbable in the
gastrointestinal tract.
2. It should be nonirritant to the mucus
membrane.
3. It should preferably form a strong noncovalent bond with the mucin
epithelial cell surfaces.
4. It should adhere quickly to moist tissue
and should possess some site specificity.
5. It should allow easy incorporation of the
drug and offer non hindrance to its release.
6. The polymer must not decompose on storage
or during shelf-life of the dosage form.
7. The cost of polymer should not be high.
Some of the mucoadhesive
polymers along with their mucoadhesive property are
summarized below:
Table: 3 Mucoadhesive polymers with their mucoadhesive
property5
Sr. No |
Polymer |
Mucoadhesive
property |
1 |
Carbopol 934 |
+++ |
2 |
Carboxymethylcellulose |
+++ |
3 |
Polycarbophil |
+++ |
4 |
Tragacanth |
+++ |
5 |
Sodium alginate |
+++ |
6 |
Hydroxyethyl cellulose |
+++ |
7 |
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose |
+++ |
8 |
Gum karaya |
++ |
9 |
Guar gum |
++ |
10 |
Polyvinylpyrrolidone |
+ |
11 |
Polyethylene glycol |
+ |
12 |
Hydroxypropyl cellulose |
+ |
Note: +++ excellent, ++ fair, +poor
BIOADHESIVE DOSAGE FORMS1,
4, 7, 8:
Bioadhesive dosage forms can be developed as sublingual, buccal or gingival systems for systemic drug delivery or
local drug delivery at any particular site.
Within the oral cavity, the buccal region has
been extensively explored and appears promising for certain drugs.
I) Buccal
Dosage Forms:
a) Adhesive tablets:
Adhesive tablets are held between the gum and
cheek. These are generally flat,
elliptical or capsule-shaped. The
parotid duct empties into the mouth at a point opposite the crown of the second
upper molar, near the spot where buccal tablets are
usually placed. This location provides
the medium to dissolve the tablets and to provide for release of the
medication. Buccal
tablets are prepared either by the procedures used for granulation or by direct
compression. Formulation contains no disintegrants, so the tablet will dissolve slowly. Flavouring agents and sweeteners are sometimes added to
make the tablets more palatable, but this may result in increased flow rate of
saliva, which is not desirable. It is also important to minimize the swallowing
of saliva during the time that the buccal tablet is
held in place. Since buccal tablets are to be held in
the mouth for relatively long periods of time, particular care should be taken
to see that all the ingredients are finely divided so that the tablets are not
gritty or irritating.
Buccoadhesive tablet may be monolithic or bilaminated system. The main disadvantages of the monolayer
tablet is the multidirectional release of the drug, hence some of the fraction
of drug may swallowed. In order to avoid multidirectional release of the drug a
bilaminated system was used. The Bilayered
tablet made up of two layers, drug containing core layer and backing layer. The
backing layer may be of water insoluble material like Ethyl cellulose or
hydrogenated caster oil or may be polymeric coating
layer which functioning as a adhesive and backing layer. A mucoadhesive
delivery system with a backing layer on one side can be used for local as well
as systemic transmucosal drug delivery. Such a
backing layer avoids sticking of the tablet to the finger during application in
the oral cavity.
The figure no. 5 shows the monolayer, Bilayered and compressed coated tablet and schematic
release of the drug.
Fig.
5:
Schematic representation of Unidirectional and Bidirectional release from buccal Tablet
b) Adhesive gels1, 4:
Gels are usually clear, transparent, semisolids
containing solubilized active substances. Gel forming
hydrophilic polymers is typically used to prepare lipid-free semisolid dosage
forms. e.g. Methylcellulose, carbopols, hydroxy ethylcellulose etc. Gel
vehicles containing therapeutic agents are especially useful for application to
mucus membranes and ulcerated or burned tissues, because their high water
content reduces irritancy. Due to their plastic rheological behaviour they can
remain to the surface of application for a reasonable duration before they are
washed off. In comparison to solutions, gels can significantly prolong
residence time and hence improve bioavailability.
c) Adhesive patches1, 4:
Patches may range from simple erodible or nonerodible adhesive disks to laminated systems. The size
of buccal patch can vary from 1 to 15cm2.
Patches can be formulated with a backing layer providing unidirectional release
of the drug into the mucus layer, thus minimizing loss of drug to the saliva
and maximizing concentration gradient of the drug to the mucosa. On the other
hand with no backing layer it can provide a bi-directional release of drug,
resulting in significant loss during swallowing of saliva.
d) Adhesive ointments1,
4:
Three bases white petrolatum, hydrophilic petrolatum
and lauromacrogol along with carbopol
are used in preparing adhesive ointments. Bioadhesive
ointments have been investigated as extensively as tablets and patches.
II) Sublingual1, 4:
Sublingual
tablets are held beneath the tongue. These tablets can be either molded or
compressed and are prepared from soluble ingredients, so that the tablets are
completely and rapidly soluble. The
requirements for sublingual tablets are rapid drug release and a correspondingly
rapid physiologic response, which are normally best achieved with a rapid
soluble molded tablet. However, compressed sublingual tablets normally have
lesser weight variation and better content uniformity. Compressed tablets
disintegrate quickly and allow the active ingredient to dissolve rapidly in the
saliva.
III) Dental or gingival1, 4:
Denture
adhesives are devices that are prescribed as an aid to retain dentures or
reduce discomfort after the insertion of dentures. Both natural and synthetic
hydrocolloids have been used for denture adhesives. The excipients
of denture adhesives include swellable polymers,
gels, antibacterial agents, and preservatives, fillers, wetting and flavoring
agents. The disadvantages of using denture adhesives are the short and variable
duration of action, nausea, damage to the prosthesis and the danger of
prolonging the service life of an ill-fitting denture.
ADVANTAGES OF MUCOADHESIVE BUCCAL DRUG
DELIVERY SYSTEMS1, 4-6,9,10:
Drugs
administration via oral mucosa offers several advantages
1. Ease of administration.
2. Termination of therapy is easy.
3. Permits localization of drug to the oral
cavity for a prolonged period of time.
4. Can be administered to unconscious
patients.
5. Offers an excellent route, for the systemic
delivery of drugs with high first pass metabolism, thereby offering a greater
bioavailability.
6. A significant reduction in dose can be
achieved thereby reducing dose related side effects.
7. Drugs which are unstable in the acidic
environment are destroyed by enzymatic or alkaline environment of intestine can
be administered by this route.
8. Drugs which show poor bioavailability via
the oral route can be administered conveniently.
9. It offers a passive system of drug
absorption and does not require any activation.
10. The presence of saliva ensures relatively
large amount of water for drug dissolution unlike in case of rectal and transdermal routes.
11. Systemic absorption is rapid.
12. This route provides an alternative for the
administration of various hormones, narcotic analgesic, steroids, enzymes,
cardiovascular agents etc.
13. The buccal mucosa
is highly perfused with blood vessels and offers a
greater permeability than the skin.
LIMITATION OF BUCCAL DRUG ADMINISTRATION1,
4-6, 9, 10:
Drug
administration via buccal mucosa has certain limitations.
1. Drugs, which irritate the oral mucosa, have
a bitter or unpleasant taste, odour; can not be administered by this route.
2. Drugs, which are unstable at buccal pH can not be administered
by this route.
3. Only drugs with small dose requirements can
be administered.
4. Drugs may swallow with saliva and loses the
advantages of buccal route.
5. Only those drugs, which are absorbed by
passive diffusion, can be administered by this route.
6. Eating and drinking may become restricted.
7. Swallowing of the formulation by the
patient may be possible.
8. Over hydration may lead to the formation of
slippery surface and structural integrity of the formulation may get disrupted
by the swelling and hydration of the bioadhesive
polymers.
CONCLUSION:
Buccal administration refers to a topical route of
administration by which drugs diffuse through the oral mucosa (tissues which
line the mouth) and enter directly into the bloodstream. Buccal
administration typically results in higher bioavailability of a drug a more
rapid onset of action. This is because the medication does not pass through the
digestive system and thereby avoids first pass metabolism.
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Received on 28.03.2016 Modified on
17.04.2016
Accepted on 25.04.2016 ©A&V Publications All right reserved
Research J. Science and Tech. 2016; 8(2):90-98
DOI: 10.5958/2349-2988.2016.00012.7