An Updated Overview of the Emerging Role of Patch and Film-Based Buccal Delivery Systems

Abstract

Buccal mucosal membrane offers an attractive drug-delivery route to enhance both systemic and local therapy. This review discusses the benefits and drawbacks of buccal drug delivery, anatomical and physiological aspects of oral mucosa, and various in vitro techniques frequently used for examining buccal drug-delivery systems. The role of mucoadhesive polymers, penetration enhancers, and enzyme inhibitors to circumvent the formulation challenges particularly due to salivary renovation cycle, masticatory effect, and limited absorption area are summarized. Biocompatible mucoadhesive films and patches are favored dosage forms for buccal administration because of flexibility, comfort, lightness, acceptability, capacity to withstand mechanical stress, and customized size. Preparation methods, scale-up process and manufacturing of buccal films are briefed. Ongoing and completed clinical trials of buccal film formulations designed for systemic delivery are tabulated. Polymeric or lipid nanocarriers incorporated in buccal film to resolve potential formulation and drug-delivery issues are reviewed. Vaccine-enabled buccal films have the potential ability to produce both antibodies mediated and cell mediated immunity. Advent of novel 3D printing technologies with built-in flexibility would allow multiple drug combinations as well as compartmentalization to separate incompatible drugs. Exploring new functional excipients with potential capacity for permeation enhancement of particularly large-molecular-weight hydrophilic drugs and unstable proteins, oligonucleotides are the need of the hour for rapid advancement in the exciting field of buccal drug delivery.

Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films as a Potential Buccal Platform for Drug Delivery

“…Liquid solutions or suspensions, effervescent buccal discs, tablets, and lozenges have been designed with optimized characteristics for buccal application [5][6][7]. Buccal films have gained relevance as novel, convenient and patient-friendly formulations [8]. These formulations have been developed to release drugs locally for the treatment of fungal or bacterial infections [9][10][11][12].…”

Multiple Roles of Chitosan in Mucosal Drug Delivery: An Updated Review

“…Mucoadhesive films are one of the most innovative and interesting types of buccal dosage forms [ 84 ]. An ideal buccal film should be flexible, elastic and properly shaped and sized, to assure good comfort to the patient, and endowed with good bioadhesive power, to guarantee adherence to the oral mucosa.…”

“…Even mucoadhesive patches, consisting of, typically, laminated non-dissolving matrices with a mucoadhesive layer, have obtained great attention as buccal delivery systems, particularly for systemic drug release [ 84 ]. A buccal patch for insulin delivery, based on CS as mucoadhesive matrix and “ionic liquids/deep eutectic solvent” (made from a choline–geranic acid mixture) as transport facilitator, was successfully developed [ 95 ].…”

Molecular Mapping of Antifungal Mechanisms Accessing Biomaterials and New Agents to Target Oral Candidiasis

“…Transcellular and paracellular routes, in a simple passive diffusion fashion, are the two pathways recognized for drug access at the level of the oral epithelium as a function of drug molecular weight, lipophilicity, electrical charge, pH, and mucoadhesion dynamics [ 62 ]. From a formulation point of view, the research of new pharmaceutical systems to target the oral mucosa is oriented toward the use of biocompatible polymers with bioadhesive properties [ 114 ], active penetration enhancers, enzyme inhibitors, and the development of nano-sized drug delivery systems [ 115 ].…”