Formulation and characterization of pramipexole containing buccal films for using in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is neurodegenerative chronic illness which affects primarily the elderly over 45 years of age. The symptoms can be various, both non-motor and motor symptoms can appear. The biggest problem in the treatment of the disease is the difficulty in swallowing for the patients. However, buccal patches can solve this problem because the patients do not have to swallow the dosage form, and during application, the API can absorb from the area of the buccal mucosa quickly without causing a foreign body sensation. In our present study, we focused on the development of buccal polymer films with pramipexole dihydrochloride (PR). Films with different compositions were formulated and their mechanical properties and chemical interactions were investigated. The biocompatibility of the film compositions was examined on the TR146 buccal cell line. The permeation of PR was also monitored across the TR146 human cell line. It can be stated that the plasticizer can enhance the thickness and the breaking hardness of the films, while not decreasing their mucoadhesivity significantly. All formulations proved to have cell viability higher than 87%. Finally, we found the best composition (3% SA+1% GLY-PR-Sample1) which can be applied on the buccal mucosa in the treatment of PD.