Chitosan as Valuable Excipient for Oral and Topical Carvedilol Delivery Systems

Chitosan is a valued excipient due to its biocompatibility properties and increasing solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. The research presented in this paper concerns the preparation of binary combinations of chitosan (deacetylated chitin) with carvedilol (beta-blocker) to develop a formulation with a modified carvedilol release profile. As part of the research, six physical mixtures of chitosan with carvedilol were obtained and identified by spectral (PXRD, FT-IR, and Raman), thermal (DSC), and microscopic (SEM) methods. The next stage of the research estimated the profile changes and the dissolution rate for carvedilol in the obtained drug delivery systems; the reference sample was pure carvedilol. The studies were conducted at pH = 1.2 and 6.8, simulating the gastrointestinal tract conditions. Quantitative changes of carvedilol were determined using the developed isocratic UHPLC-DAD method. Established apparent permeability coefficients proved the changes in carvedilol’s permeability after introducing a drug delivery system through membranes simulating the gastrointestinal tract and skin walls. A bioadhesive potential of carvedilol–chitosan systems was confirmed using the in vitro model. The conducted research and the obtained results indicate a significant potential of using chitosan as an excipient in modern oral or epidermal drug delivery systems of carvedilol.