BUCCAL MUCOADHESIVE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY TECHNIQUE

Anitha Lekshmi M R*, Neema Aniyan, Rinu Varghese, Lekshmi L, Mohana M Nair and Nikhila M Nair

ABSTRACT

Oral drug delivery is the most preferable route of drug administration due to ease of administration, patient compliance, flexibility in formulation etc. However in case of the oral route there are several challenges such as first pass metabolism and drug degradation in gastrointestinal environment and poor pharmacological response. Other routes of administration proposed are nasal, pulmonary, transdermal, buccal or rectal drug delivery. These routes offer advantages but they also require some development time. A candidate drug can enter into the development phase but there are problems in delivery of the drug. Drugs having low oral bioavailability show low plasma profile. The buccal mucosa is one of the administration sites that might provide an alternative for per oral administration. This review will provide an insight into this route of drug delivery and the formulations that are, or can be, used and it will also describe the challenges or possibilities of this route of administration. There is novel drug delivery system like buccal drug delivery system in which drug enters directly in systemic circulation thereby by passing the first pass effect. Contact with digestive food of gastrointestinal tract is avoided which might be unsuitable for stability of many drugs. This is painless and without discomfort, precise dosage form and facilitates ease of removal without significant associated pain. Moreover it shows better stability, patient compliance; uniform and sustained drug release and above all easy and cheap methods of preparation which can be done with various commonly available biocompatible polymers.

Keywords: Buccal delivery, Formulation, Polymer, Mechanism of action.