Design and In Vitro Evaluation of Controlled Release Satranidazole Subgingival Films for Periodontitis Therapy

An objective of periodontal treatment is to suppress or eliminate sub gingival periodontal pathogens. Local delivery devices for periodontitis are designed to deliver the drug locally into periodontal pocket. Satranidazole is a 5-nitroimidazole derivative active against gram negative anaerobic periodontal infections. For site specific one time continuous delivery of Satranidazole, an antimicrobial agent in the treatment of periodontal disease was prepared by solvent casting technique using different concentration of chitosan with glycerol as plasticizer. FTIR and DSC studies revealed no interaction between Satranidazole and polymer. The physicochemical parameters along with in vitro release characteristics, ex vivo permeation studies and in vitro antibacterial studies were evaluated. All the prepared films have good physicochemical properties and possess consistent sustained release of drug. The in vitro release studies showed an initial burst release of the drug by more than 40% followed by marked fall in release by day two, and progressive moderate sustained release profile to maintain therapeutic level follows zero order. Formulation F5 released 94.104 % of drug in 96 hours and was considered as best controlled release formulation. Ex vivo permeation studies indicated slow and sustained permeation of the drug for 24 hrs. The in vitro antibacterial activity studies explained the positive effect on periodontal pathogen. The surface topography of the film was studied by Scanning electron microscopy. The stability studies showed that there were no significant physical changes. The study suggests that chitosan films containing Satranidazole is a potential drug delivery device for the local treatment of periodontitis.