Development of Chlorhexidine Thermosensitive Gels as a Mouth Antiseptic

Chlorhexidine is a widely used antiseptic with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. The aim of this research is to develop a chlorhexidine thermosensitive gel as a mouth antiseptic by using lutrol F127 as a gelling agent. Due to its thermosensitive properties, lutrol has a sol-gel transition ability to change from solution stage at low temperature to the viscous gel at high temperature; these characteristics provide extended exposure time to the oral cavity. In order to achieve optimal viscosity and thermal response, the suitable concentrations of lutrol and chlorhexidine were 25% and 0.25% w/w, respectively. The chlorhexidine thermosensitive gel showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. In vitro release of chlorhexidine was investigated in phosphate buffer pH 6.2 at 37°C. The release of chlorhexidine was 94% after 180 minutes and followed zero order kinetics.