Adhesive and In Vitro Release Properties of the Konjac Glucomannan and Xanthan Gum Mixture Gel Film

Purposes: To study the adhesive and the in vitro release properties of a mixture gel film prepared with two kinds of natural polysaccharides-konjac glucomannan and xanthan gum. Methods: The optimal formula was investigated by the quadratic regression rotatable orthogonal design with adhesive force as the evaluated parameter. Its in vitro release behavior was studied by the in vitro accumulative released curve with aciclovir as the model medicine. Results: By predication and verification, the optimal formula for film-forming was determined as follows: 50 mL of mixture gel of 1% (w/w) konjac glucomannan and 1% (w/w) xanthan gum solution at the ratio of 2.36:1 (v/v), added 0.35 mL of glycerol and 0.47 mL of Tween-80, the forming film possessed the optimal adhesive ability, and the adhesive force for each piece was (50.85 ± 3.57) g (n = 6). The release of aciclovir from the medicinal film reached the maximum at 4.5 h, and could maintain 3-7 h. Conclusions: The konjac glucomannan and xanthan gum mixture gel film possesses good bio-adhesive and controlled-release abilities, and the results indicated that it could be a promising matrix material for the mucosa adhesive and transdermal drug delivery systems.