Ibuprofen-loaded, nanocellulose-based buccal films : the development and evaluation of promising drug delivery systems for special populations

Bolko Seljak, Katarina (author), Grilc, Blaž (author), Gašperlin, Mirjana (author), Gosenca Matjaž, Mirjam (author)

The objective of this work was to investigate the use of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) as a drug-delivery excipient for buccal films. Gel-like dispersions were created by blending either gel or powder NCC (gNCC or pNCC) with natural polymers (alginate, pectin, or chitosan) in water, with glycerol serving as a plasticiser. Ibuprofen (IBU) as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) was dissolved in a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) to improve its solubility prior to its addition to gel-like dispersions. Dispersions were dried, and resulting films were cut to 3 cm × 1.5 cm size, appropriate for buccal delivery. Rheological measurements revealed that shorter, thinner, and less crystalline nanocellulose fibres are more favourable for stronger gel properties. While overall, weaker gel structure prior to film casting also resulted in shorter disintegration time, this was not the case for NCC–chitosan films; here, the low solubility of chitosan in neutral media proved to be the main obstacle. Nevertheless, the prolonged disintegration of NCC–chitosan films did not impact the dissolution of IBU, as these films exhibited the fastest dissolution rate, followed by NCC–pectin and NCC–alginate. Furthermore, NCC properties significantly influenced the dissolution behaviour of the chitosan formulations, with gNCC favouring faster IBU release due to weaker gel formation prior to film casting.

• Language: English
• Keywords: buccal films, hydrogels, mucoadhesion, nanocrystalline cellulose, SMEDDS, ibuprofen, drug delivery, microemulsion
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 11, iss. 3, [article no.] 163
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-167505
• UDC: 615.015.14
• ISSN on article: 2310-2861
• DOI: 10.3390/gels11030163
• COBISS.SI-ID: 227237891
• Publication date in RUL: 25.02.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Gels
• Shortened title: Gels
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2310-2861
• COBISS.SI-ID: 525301529

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: bukalni filmi, hidrogeli, mukoadhezija, nanokristalna celuloza, SMEDDS, ibuprofen, dostava zdravil, mikroemulzije, dostavni sistemi

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P1-0189
• Name: Farmacevtska tehnologija: od dostavnih sistemov učinkovin do terapijskih izidov zdravil pri otrocih in starostnikih