Design and Evaluation of Propolis-Loaded Buccal Patches

Abstract

Objective: Propolis is highly recommended in aphthous stomatitis, a condition that requires a proper delivery tool to achieve an efficient treatment. For this indication, a buccal patch that provides prolonged mucosal contact and protection would be beneficial. Accordingly, in this study, we designed propolis-loaded buccal patches, composed of three polymers (alginate, carboxymethylcellulose, and polyvinylpyrrolidone) of complementary properties, and the proper combination of them to produce the patch of optimum properties. Material and Method: Nine patches of different polymer ratios were prepared by casting method and evaluated by assessing their swelling, adhesion time and strength, and dissolution rate. Then the patches properties were correlated using artificial neural network analysis. Result and Discussion: The results showed that all patches were smooth, translucent, and flexible with surface pH between 6.5 and 7.4. The correlation between polymer composition and measured properties was complex and non-linear. Therefore, an artificial neural network was used to analyze these properties and optimize them. The model of this analysis provides higher weights for favorable tensile and adhesion strengths while considering swelling, rigidity, and fast dissolution rate as unfavorable. According to summation analysis, the combination of CMC% and PVP% of 15.5 and 13, respectively, provides the best score of 3.5.