Dissolution of celecoxib from mucoadhesive disks based on polyaspartamide derivatives.

A series of mucoadhesive disks with celecoxib as a model drug of very low aqueous solubility were prepared and characterized. Two polymers of polyaspartamide type, poly[alpha,beta-(N-2-hydroxyethyl-DL-aspartamide)] (PHEA, 1) and its thiolated analogue poly[alpha,beta-(N-2-hydroxyethyl-DL-aspartamide)]-poly[alpha,beta-(N-2-thioethyl-DL-aspartamide)] copolymer (PHTA, 2a,b), and two commercially available polymers Carbopol 934P and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose 4000 were used as excipients. Disks containing a mixture of equivalent amounts of thiomer 2b and Carbopol 934P as an excipient exhibited the highest dissolution rate.