Abstract
To develop more effective treatment for bacterial vaginosis, bioadhesive film formulations of clindamycin phosphate (CL) for vaginal delivery were studied. The bioadhesive films were prepared by solvent evaporation method. A 32 full factorial design was utilized for optimization of the effect of independent variables such as amount of hydroxypropyl cellulose (X1), amount of xanthan gum (X2) on mechanical properties, and % drug retained on vaginal mucosa. The films were evaluated for various aesthetic and physicodynamic properties. Batch F86 showed highest overall desirability of 0.99. Batch F86 was considered optimal composition for a novel bioadheive vaginal formulation, as they have good peelability, high % elongation at break, moderate tensile strength, and retained on vaginal mucosa up to 8 h. Also, films were non-cytotoxic as indicated by negligible decrease in cell viability. Our study may provide a potential vaginal delivery system of CL against bacterial vaginosis.