Fabrication of Dextran-Based Edible Film for Colon-Targeted Delivery of Collagen-Bioactive Glass Complex Through Oral Route

Oral drug delivery comes with the major drawback of poor availability. This usually leads to the formulation of higher doses to reach the therapeutic plasma concentration after oral administration. This work focuses on the targeted delivery of micronutrients for bone nutrition, which plays a significant role in quantifying the amount of dosage to be given to the concerned individual. In this study, the fabrication and characterization of dextran-based edible film for the colon-targeted oral delivery of collagen and micronutrients is carried out for bone health. For film constitution, mineralization of the bioactive glass network is carried out in a collagen matrix along with vitamin D. This film is then sandwiched between the dextran film to facilitate intestinal targeted delivery. The flow behavior of the formed film is studied in gastric fluid and intestinal fluid. The rheological studies depicting the visco-elastic nature of the film in GI tract. SDS-PAGE profile confirms the colon-targeted delivery of collagen. The constructed film proves to be biocompatible, showcasing more than 80 ± 4% cell viability and disintegration studies showcasing 80 ± 4% confirms its biodegradation. Thus, the aforementioned sandwiched film proves to be a potential carrier of the targeted delivery of nutrients for bone health applications.