Administered by an oral route, Furosemide (FUR), a diuretic used in several edematous\nstates and hypertension, presents bioavailability problems, reported as a consequence of an erratic\ngastrointestinal absorption due to various existing polymorphic forms and low and pH-dependent\nsolubility. A mucoadhesive sublingual fast-dissolving FUR based film has been developed and\nevaluated in order to optimize the bioavailability of FUR by increasing solubility and guaranteeing\na good dissolution reproducibility. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analyses confirmed\nthat the film prepared using the solvent casting method entrapped FUR in the amorphous state.\nAs a solid dispersion, FUR increases its solubility up to 28.36 mg/mL. Drug content, thickness, and\nweight uniformity of film were also evaluated. The measured Young�s Modulus, yield strength, and\nrelative elongation of break percentage (EB%) allowed for the classification of the drug-loaded film as\nan elastomer. Mucoadhesive strength tests showed that the force to detach film from mucosa grew\nexponentially with increasing contact time up to 7667 N/m2. FUR was quickly discharged from\nthe film following a trend well fitted with theWeibull kinetic model. When applied on sublingual\nmucosa, the new formulation produced a massive drug flux in the systemic compartment. Overall,\nthe proposed sublingual film enhances drug solubility and absorption, allowing for the prediction of\na rapid onset of action and reproducible bioavailability in its clinical application.
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