Journal of Dental & Oro-facial Research Vol 15. Issue 01 Jan. 2019 JDOR RUAS 39 Thiomer Based Transmucosal Drug Delivery System for an Anti-Ulcer Drug Ankur Singh 1 , Sindhu Abraham 2 and Bharath S. 3 *Corresponding author E-mail: sindhu.ps.ph@msruas.ac.in Contributors: 1 Ex Post Graduate, 2 Assistant Professor, 3 Professor and Head, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Gnanagangothri Campus , New BEL Road, M S R Nagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, India - 560 054 Abstract Objective: The present study was carried out to formulate bilayered patches of Esomeprazole for buccal delivery. Methodology: The patches were prepared using thiolated chitosan as mucoadhesive polymer and ethyl cellulose as the impermeable backing layer. The formulations were developed on the basis of Central Composite Design using Response Surface Methodology after preliminary trials. Concentration of Thiolated chitosan, PVP K30 and Glycerol were chosen as Independent variables and mucoadhesive time, mucoadhesive strength as dependent variables. Results: The patches showed good mucoadhesive strength in the range of 74 - 115 g. In-vitro drug release studies showed that formulations with high ratios of the polymers were able to sustain drug release up to 8 h. Optimized Formulation OPTI-TC containing the highest ratio of thiolated Chitosan was found to be the best formulation in terms of mucoadhesive strength, drug release and drug permeation. Conclusion: Thus a stable, safe and effective bilayered mucoadhesive delivery system of Esomeprazole in the form of patches was prepared to improve drug bioavailability, avoid degradation of drug and to prevent drug loss in saliva. Key Words: Promethazine HCl, Oro Dispersible Tablets, Super Disintegrant, Sublimation, Antiemetic 1. INTRODUCTION The buccal region of the oral cavity is an attractive target for administration of the drug of choice. Buccal delivery involves the administration of the desired drug through the buccal mucosal membrane lining of the oral cavity. Unlike oral drug delivery, which presents a hostile environment for drugs, especially proteins and polypeptides, due to acid hydrolysis and the hepatic first-pass effect, the mucosal lining of buccal tissues provides a much milder environment for drug absorption. They are a new generation of mucoadhesive polymers which are capable of forming covalent bonds with the mucus and the underlying cell layers, thus exhibiting improved mucoadhesiveness. The permeation enhancing and mucoadhesive properties of thiolated polymers have been investigated to be approximately 80-fold or140-fold higher in comparison to unmodified polymers. 1,2,3 The main aim of the present work was to develop a Transmucosal drug delivery system of Esomeprazole, in the form of bilayered buccal patches using a thiolated polymer for an effective clinical management of gastric ulcers. The proposed research work includes the synthesis and characterization of a thiolated polymers and the study of effect of thiolated polymer on drug release from buccal patches. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Chemicals and Reagents Esomeprazole magnesium Tri- hydrate and PVP-K30 was procured from Yarrow Chem Products, Mumbai. Chitosan was procured from Marine chemicals, chitosan. All other chemicals and reagents used were of analytical grade unless otherwise indicated 2.2 Synthesis of Thiolated Chitosan Chitosan (500 mg) was dissolved in 50 ml of 1% acetic acid. In order to facilitate reaction with thioglycolic acid, 100mg of ethyl-3-(3- dimethyl-aminopropyl) carbo-di-imide hydro- chloride (EDAC) was added to the Chitosan solution. After EDAC was dissolved, 30ml of thioglycolic acid was added and the pH was adjusted to 5.0 with 3N NaOH. The reaction