Design of a gastroretentive mucoadhesive dosage form of furosemide for controlled release

The aim of the present study was to develop and characterize a gastroretentive dosage form suitable for controlled drug release. It consists of a drug loaded polymeric film made up of a bilayer of immediate (IR) and controlled release (CR) layers folded into a hard gelatin capsule. Gastroretention results from unfolding and swelling of the film and its bioadhesion to the gastric mucosa. Furosemide, a drug with a narrow absorption window, was selected as the model drug. Inclusion of hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin in both layers and Carbopol® 971P NF in the CR layer of the bilayer film resulted in optimum drug release, bioadhesion and mechanical properties. The film with zig-zag folding in the capsule was shown to unfold and swell under acidic conditions and provide IR of drug over 1 h and CR for up to 12 h in acidic medium. X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy revealed uniform dispersion of furosemide in the polymeric matrices. The results indicate the dosage form is gastroretentive and can provide controlled release of drugs with narrow therapeutic windows.

Graphical AbstractA gastroretentive bilayer mucoadhesive film of furosemide was developed with Carbopol® 971P NF, Eudragit RLPO and HPMC E4M as polymers and hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin as solubilizer.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide