Design and evaluation of mucoadhesive oral films containing sodium hyaluronate using multivariate data analysis

Context: Mucoadhesive oral films, with their prolonged residence time at the site of application, offer a promising approach for protection of the oral lesion surface. The addition of sodium hyaluronate of different molecular weights as a second mucoadhesive polymer into the film matrix could positively influence the physico-mechanical and mucoadhesive properties of films. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the formulation of a monolayered film matrix containing varying amounts of sodium hyaluronate and to test the properties of such matrices by applying different characterization methods. Materials and methods: Film matrix was composed of two mucoadhesive polymers, carmellose sodium and sodium hyaluronate, plasticized with glycerol. Resulting films were characterized with regard to their viscosity and physico-mechanical properties. Results and discussion: Multivariate data analysis was employed to evaluate the influence of varying amounts of mucoadhesive polymers on the main mucoadhesive oral films' properties. The lower content of sodium hyaluronate caused improvements in mechanical properties and residence time on the artificial oral mucosa, both of which are the main characteristics that determine the quality of the final product. Conclusions: The best results were obtained by samples containing carmellose sodium with a small amount of sodium hyaluronate (about 0.5% in casting dispersion).