Reduced ulcerogenic potential and antiarthritic effect of chitosan-naproxen sodium complexes

The purpose of this research was to address the utility of naproxen sodium-chitosan spray-dried complexes for antiulcer and antiarthritic activities. The cold stress technique was used to examine the ulcerogenic potential of naproxen sodium (NPX) and spray-dried formulations in the different doses. The ulcerations reduced with the dose of spray-dried complexes of naproxen sodium and chitosan. The conspicuous hemorrhagic lesions were visible in the morphological features of the animal treated with naproxen 50 mg/kg (p.o.). Thus, the results suggest that the spray-dried naproxen sodium-chitosan complex (NPXF) was not corrosive to the gastric mucosa at high doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg (p.o.) under stressful conditions. It is evident from the present investigation that NPXF does not possess any ulcerogenic potential in comparison to naproxen which, under stressful conditions, led to the hypersecretion of HCl, culminating to petichial hemorrhages in the gastric mucosa of the animals. The biphasic pattern was observed in the various arthritic parameters. The rise in paw volume, joint diameter, WBC count, arthritis score, and fall in body weight was significantly ameliorated in the animals treated with NPXF (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg, p.o). At the end of the study, slight erythema was visible in the naproxen-treated animals. However, no erythema, redness, or ulcers were visible in the animals treated with NPXF. Thus, the direct compression properties and reduced ulcerogenic activity, combined with the demonstrated solubilizing power and analgesic effect enhancer ability toward the drug, make naproxen sodium-chitosan spray-dried complexes particularly suitable for developing a reduced-dose, fast-release, solid oral dosage form of naproxen.