Merging konjac glucomannan with other copolymeric hydrogels as a cutting-edge liquid raft system for dual delivery of etoricoxib and famotidine

Abstract

This study aimed to formulate and evaluate a floating raft system for the co-delivery of etoricoxib (ETO) and famotidine (FAM) using a combination of glucomannan with natural/semi-synthetic polysaccharides. Formulation variables affect gelation lag time (GLT), floating lag time (FLT), and release percentage of drugs after 1–8 h, Stability, and viscosity parameters were evaluated. In vivo X-ray studies, followed by the pharmacokinetic study, were performed on human volunteers. Formulations exhibited pseudoplastic behavior for ease of swallowing. The optimum raft system (ORS) comprised 1% Na alginate, 0.1% Low Methoxyl (LM) pectin, 0.8% Konjac glucomannan (KGL), 1% Precirol, and 1% CaCO₃. ORS exhibited rapid GLT and FLT (around 42 and 8 sec respectively) in 0.1 N HCl as well as controlled release of ETO (15% in 1 h and 82% in 8 h) and FAM (29% in 1 h and 85% in 8 h). Formulation stability with the absence of any drug-excipient interactions was observed. The X-ray imaging showed a promising buoyancy ability for approximately 8 h. Compared with marketed products, ORS showed superior relative bioavailability for both drugs. These findings revealed the successful preparation of a promising raft system with improved dual drug delivery.

Keywords:

• Etoricoxib
• famotidine
• dual delivery
• raft forming system
• glucomannan
• X-ray imaging

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval statement

The Research Ethics Committee (REC) for experimental and clinical studies at the Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University approved this research protocol PI (3014).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.