Gelatin as a Chlorhexidine Digluconate Immobilizing Agent

Periodontal diseases are a diversified group of clinical entities, described as pathologies of a multifactorial nature, in which the induction of an inflammatory process that destroys the fixation apparatus, loss of the alveolar bone and, if untreated, in the loss of the dental element. Among the wide variety of drugs used in the treatment of periodontal disease, chlorhexidine demonstrated to be a highly active chemical agent for microbial control. Chlorhexidine possesses the molecular formula C22H30Cl2N10, a molar mass equal to 505.4 g/mol, the density of 1.06 g/cm3 and a boiling point of 134°C [1]. The antimicrobial effect of chlorhexidine is due to the attraction and adsorption of the chlorhexidine cationic molecules on the surface of the microorganism’s cells [2]. This interaction promotes the alteration of the cell membrane permeability, resulting in the loss of intracellular components and the osmotic imbalance of the cell [3,4]. Its sizeable microbial spectrum, persistence, and low toxicity [5,6], promoted the use of this substance in several areas related to the health. Also, the most widely used form of chlorhexidine is the 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate solution [7]. Despite presenting excellent antimicrobial activity, the effectiveness of conventional treatment of oral diseases is often limited due to reduced retention of formulations applied in the oral cavity. The salivary flow, the swallowing reflex, chewing and speaking may affect the dilution or displacement of a pharmaceutical formulation and can lead to a rapid decline in the concentration of the active ingredients to sub-therapeutic levels. Thus, there is a need for the development of drug delivery systems that could confer a better bio-availability of active components and a more significant retention of this active substance in the place where it should act while allowing a reduction in the frequency of administration and dosing [8]. By definition, the Controlled Drug Release System (CRS) is an administration system designed to prolong the release time of the drug in the body, maintain its plasma concentration and control the temporal and spatial location of the molecules in vivo, by applying biological and chemical principles. Apart from this concept, there are already existing systems of local release of antibiotics or Volume 1 Issue 5 2017