Formulation and In-vitro Evaluation of Directly Compressed Mucoadhesive Buccal Tablets Containing Omeprazole for the Treatment of Peptic Ulcer

The current study was performed to design and evaluate the mucoadhesive buccal tablets of omeprazole employing the direct compression technique to overcome its delayed release, circumvent the hepatic first-pass metabolism, lessen the frequency of dosing and dose-driven side effects associated with the conventional dosage forms with a view to ensuring improved oral bioavailability, optimal therapeutic outcome and better patient's convenience. Therefore, a total of nine formulations were developed with differing concentrations of carbopol 934P, HPMC K4M and xanthan gum as the mucoadhesive polymers. Croscarmellose sodium was utilized as super-disintegrant to improve the release profile of omeprazole. The prepared tablets were then assessed for in-vitro dissolution and drug release kinetic analysis, with several of pre-compression and post-compression quality control criteria. Among all the formulations, the F-1 formulation containing 30 grams of carbopol 934P demonstrated the highest release rate of 94% within 3 hours, showing the best fitting with the first order kinetic model with a R2 value of 0.986. Additionally, it exhibited the greatest mucoadhesive strength, with a satisfactory mucoadhesive force of 8.829 N. This indicated that the F-1 formulation was optimized for fast release and strong mucoadhesion, suggesting potential effectiveness in its intended application.