Preparation and Characteristics of Film Dosage Form Natural Polysaccharides

We investigated preparation of film dosage form (FD) from natural polysaccharides using the casting method without organic solvents, heating or pH control. Ferulic acid (FA) and catechin were employed as model compounds incorporated in the FD, and the release profile of each compound from the form was investigated in the limited medium. Film formation was affected by the addition of the model compound to the polysaccharide solution. Rigid FD was obtained with 2% low-molecular-weight alginate (L-ALG; thickness, 65 µm), and it hardened after the addition of 0.5% polygalacturonic acid, although the thickness of the film did not change. The FDs immediately released the model compound, and the forms dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline. FD modification did not affect the FA release rate except in the early stage. FD would be a useful dosage form, especially for preventing or treating localized problems in the oral cavity.