Preparation and characterization of tamarind seed polysaccharide-pullulan sublingual films loaded with muco-inert nanoparticles for mucosal co-delivery of BSA and resveratrol

Abstract

Drug delivery via the sublingual mucosal route presents considerable challenges due to the presence of a complex mucus barrier. To improve the mucus permeability of resveratrol and bovine serum albumin (BSA) and achieve their co-delivery, muco-inert resveratrol-BSA nanoparticles (Res-BSA) were prepared. The mucus penetration of Res-BSA was 3.6 times higher than that of resveratrol and BSA. Res-BSA was incorporated into sublingual films based on mucoadhesive tamarind seed polysaccharide and pullulan (TSP-Pul) to prolong its residence time in the sublingual area. The introduction of Res-BSA enhanced the surface roughness and hydrophilicity of TSP-Pul and preserved the favorable mechanical strength and flexibility of TSP-Pul. The 5 % addition of Res-BSA dramatically increased the initial swelling capacity (435 % at 2 min) of TSP-Pul (284 % at 2 min), and all films completely disintegrated within 60 min. During disintegration, the holes in the internal network of the films became progressively larger and more heterogeneous. The main initial release form of the films containing Res-BSA was determined to be nanoparticles. Compared to TSP-Pul, the addition of 1 % Res-BSA accelerated the release of resveratrol and BSA within the first 2 h. Overall, TSP-Pul containing Res-BSA may be an attractive platform for sublingual co-delivery of resveratrol and BSA.