Introduction:: Gaultheria procumbens (teaberry) is abundant with methyl salicylate, which is an analgesic and anti-inflammatory compound. Buccal drug delivery, which is a patientfriendly and non-invasive method of drug delivery, is available as medicated chewing gum. Methods:: Hydroalcoholic tea berry leaf extraction was done through cold maceration and standardized through HPLC using methyl salicylate. Fusion moulding using different gum bases and calcium carbonate was used to prepare six chewing gum formulations (F136). Formulations were tested on the basis of organoleptic properties, hardness, surface pH, swelling index, waterretention capacity, drug content, in-vitro release, and accelerated stability. Results:: Formulation F3 exhibited the best performance in the form of hardness 5.5 +0.3 kg/cm 2, surface pH 6.7 +0.1, drug content 98.2, water-retention capacity 10.9, and loss on drying 4.18. The release of methyl salicylate in in-vitro followed almost zero-order kinetics, with 92.3/0.4 percent released after 45 minutes. Mechanical and release properties had only slight changes during accelerated stability tests (40 2 C/ 75 percent RH, 3 months). Conclusion:: F3 is a stable G. procumbens-controlled drug release chewing gum with appropriate physicochemical characteristics. More in-vivo and clinical trials are advised to establish therapeutic efficacy.
Maan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.