Chitosan-poly(acrylic) acid polyionic complex: in vivo study to demonstrate prolonged gastric retention

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Effective antibiotic delivery to the stomach is crucial for treating gastric infections.
• Chitosan and poly(acrylic) acid are biocompatible polymers with potential for drug delivery applications.
• Developing controlled-release systems can improve therapeutic efficacy and reduce dosing frequency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a chitosan-poly(acrylic) acid based controlled drug release system for gastric amoxicillin delivery.
• To evaluate the gastric residence time, swelling behavior, and drug release characteristics of the developed formulations.
• To compare the gastric emptying rate of the novel system with a conventional formulation.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of polyionic complexes using amoxicillin, chitosan, and poly(acrylic) acid.
• Non-invasive determination of gastric residence time.
• Swelling studies of the polyionic complexes.
• In vitro drug release studies.
• Gastric emptying rate assessment using the [13C]octanoic acid breath test.

Main Results:

• Polyionic complexes exhibited greater swelling compared to single chitosan formulations.
• Amoxicillin diffusion was effectively controlled by polymer/drug interactions and network mesh size.
• The developed gastric retentive system significantly delayed gastric emptying (mean half-emptying time 164.32 min) compared to the reference (65.06 min).

Conclusions:

• Chitosan-poly(acrylic) acid polyionic complexes show promise as effective systems for controlled gastric drug delivery.
• The enhanced gastric residence time of these complexes can improve localized antibiotic therapy in the stomach.
• This formulation strategy offers a viable approach for targeted gastric drug delivery applications.