Development of Mucoadhesive Vaginal Films for Metronidazole Delivery Using Methacryloylated, Crotonoylated, and Itaconoylated Gelatin Blends with Poly(vinyl alcohol)

Shatabayeva E.O. Kaldybekov D.B. Kenessova Z.A. Tuleyeva R.N. Kudaibergenov S.E. Khutoryanskiy V.V.
February 2025 Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

AAPS PharmSciTech
2025 #26 Issue 2

Purpose: This work reports the development and characterisation of polymeric films composed of gelatin or its chemically modified derivatives (crotonoylated, itaconoylated, and methacryloylated gelatins) blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Metronidazole served as an antimicrobial drug in these formulations. Methods: The films were produced by casting aqueous solutions of polymers, followed by solvent evaporation. Their structure and physicochemical characteristics were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical testing. The thickness of the films, their folding endurance, the surface pH, and transparency were also evaluated. The mucoadhesive performance of the films was evaluated through an ex vivo detachment technique involving freshly excised sheep vaginal tissues. In vitro cumulative drug release studies were conducted using Franz diffusion cells. Results: The results demonstrate that incorporating unsaturated functional groups into gelatin improves its mucoadhesive properties compared to native gelatin. The drug release experiments conducted in vitro showed that the cumulative release from pure gelatin/PVA films was found to be 49 ± 2%, whereas modified gelatins/PVA (70:30) films released ~ 64–71%. Conclusion: These findings suggest that modified gelatins could serve as effective excipients in designing mucoadhesive formulations for vaginal administration, with potential applications extending to other transmucosal drug delivery systems.

crotonoylated gelatin , itaconoylated gelatin , methacryloylated gelatin , mucoadhesion , vaginal films

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Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, PO Box 224, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6DX, United Kingdom
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Institute of Polymer Materials and Technology, Almaty, 050019, Kazakhstan

Reading School of Pharmacy
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Institute of Polymer Materials and Technology

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