Formulation and evaluation of mucoadhesive tablets of furosemide by design of experiment

Aim and objective The present investigation concerns with the development and evaluation of mucoadhesive tablets of furosemide, which were designed to prolong the gastric residence time after oral administration. Materials and methods Mucoadhesive tablets of furosemide were formulated using different mucoadhesive polymers such as locust bean gum, tamarind gum, and chitosan in various ratios for treatment of hypertension by using design of experiment. Results and discussion The tablets were evaluated for various parameters such as compatibility studies, drug content, weight variation, hardness, thickness, friability, swelling studies, in vitro drug-release studies, in vitro mucoadhesion strength, ex vivo residence time test, and release rate kinetics. The in vitro release kinetics studies reveal that all formulations fit well with zero order, followed by Korsmeyer-Peppas, Higuchi, and the mechanism of drug release is erosion. After analysis of different evaluation parameters and drug-release kinetics, formulation code F16 was selected as a promising formulation for delivery of furosemide as a mucoadhesive gastroretentive tablet with best mucoadhesive strength and 98.76% cumulative percentage drug released at the 12th hour. Stability studies of the selected formulation were carried out to determine the effect of formulation additives on the stability of the drug and also to determine the physical stability of the formulation. Conclusion The stability studies were carried out at 40°C/75% RH for 90 days. There was no significant change in the physical property and weight variation, hardness, thickness, friability, in vitro drug-release studies, and in vitro mucoadhesion-strength drug content during the study period.