Curcumin Intra-oral Controlled Release Films for Oral Candidiasis: A Comparative Study with Fluconazole, Elucidation of Release Mechanism

Objective: This research work aimed to develop bucco-adhesive patches, which release curcumin in the oral cavity for an extended duration thereby assisting in the cure of oral thrush (candidiasis). Fluconazole containing patches were also developed in order to compare the effectiveness of curcumin patches against Candida albicans. Method: After suitable preformulation studies, five formulations of curcumin were prepared using Eudragit S100 and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in varying ratios. Three batches of fluconazole formulations were prepared without PVA. Patches were evaluated for their physical properties and chemical integrity. Newer techniques were developed to determine their bioadhesion and tensile strength. Sterile formulations of P3 and F2 were prepared and compared for the antifungal activity against C. albicans, by zone of inhibition method. Results: All formulations exhibited satisfactory tensile strength ranging from 0.282 to 0.411 Kg/m2 with good folding endurance. Formulations containing higher amount of PVP exhibited better bioadhesive strength. P3 formulation containing curcumin and F2 formulation of fluconazole were found to sustain the drug release upto 5 hours. An increasing amount of PVA retarded the drug release. In antifungal studies, the zone of inhibition for P3 patches was 19mm, and for F2 patches, it was 13mm, indicating a better in vitro antifungal activity for curcumin against fluconazole. SEM analysis of P3 formulations revealed continuous, non-porous but non homogenous structure of the polymer film. Conclusion: The effectiveness of curcumin buccal patches in superior to fluconazole patches was well demonstrated. Mathematical modelling of drug release data indicated a first order anomalous transport causing the drug release. Kinetic modelling with zero, first order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer- peppas are explained in this article.