In Situ Gel Formulation of Ornidazole for the Treatment of Periodontal Disease

A biocompatible and biodegradable syringeable in-situ gel formulation of Ornidazole having controlled release characteristics for direct placement into the periodontal pocket was developed using Poloxamer 407(Pluronic F127) to inject without incision. Ornidazole specifically acts on gram negative anaerobic, facultative bacteria which are responsible for periodontal disease. Ornidazole requires a very low minimum inhibitory concentration to inhibit the growth of periodontal pathogens as compared to that of Metronidazole. The drug and polymer were characterized for molecular weight, solubility, refractive index, specific gravity, thermal analysis, UV Spectra analysis, hydrolysis and swellability. Pluronics, are ABA type of copolymers and it showed characteristic property of thermo reversible gelation. The drug delivery systems were prepared by two methods the hot process and cold process, cold method is preferred as lump formation takes place in case of hot process. The developed formulations were evaluated for various parameters like gelation temperature, drug content, bioadhesive strength, syringeability, viscosity, in vitro drug release and antibiotic activities. In-vitro drug release showed that SO1 formulation released the drug completely within 8 hour. For in-vitro antibacterial activity, isolation, characterization, and identification of bacterial strain were carried out from dental plaque sample collected from Periodontal diseased patients. The antibiotic assay of Ornidazole gel was performed against E.coli , S.aureus and isolated coagulase negative Staphylococcus spp. In-vitro antibacterial study showed higher zone of inhibition as compared to marketed formulation. The results of study indicate that, Pluronic F-127 is promising polymer to develop in-situ gel formulation for periodontal disease. The formulation stored at 4˚C before application, which is syringeable through 21 gauge needle. This formulation was made to inject directly in to periodontal pocket where it immediately converts in to gel form at body temperature. Usually 0.2 ml of gel formulation can be injected in to periodontal pocket.