Fabrication and in vitro evaluation of mucoadhesive ondansetron hydrochloride beads for the management of emesis in chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: Mucoadhesive beads were fabricated and evaluated for controlled release of an antiemetic drug ‘Ondansetron Hydrochloride’. Ondansetron hydrochloride is a serotonin 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist mainly used for the treatment of emesis, which occurs as a side effect of chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present work was to fabricate and evaluate ondansetron-loaded microbeads by using chitosan as mucoadhesive and sustained release polymer. Sodium tripolyphosphate (Na-TPP) was used as a cross-linking agent. The microbeads were successfully prepared by ionotropic gelation technique. The particle size, entrapment efficiency, and mucoadhesive strength of drug-loaded formulations was measured by an optical microscope, direct crushing method, and in vitro wash-off method, respectively. RESULTS: Particle size, entrapment efficiency, mucoadhesive strength, and in vitro drug release of optimized formulation was found to be 760.11 ± 1.02 μm, 75.09 ± 2.40%, 95.14 ± 0.27% and 87.45 ± 1.21%, respectively. The data was fitted to different kinetic models to illustrate its anomalous (non-Fickian) diffusion. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that ondansetron HCl loaded microbeads are most suitable mode of drug delivery for promising therapeutic action. Ondansetron HCl-loaded microbeads can prove to be potential pharmaceutical dosage forms for sustaining the drug release and reducing the dose frequency.