Alleviated Side Effects and Improved Efficiency of Omeprazole Using Oral Thin Film: In Vitro Evaluation

Omeprazole (OM), typically used for patients with gastric problems, is a proton pump inhibitor, which reduces the amount of stomach acid production effectively by regulating the proton pump. However, the main side effect of OM is the calcium indigestion, which may cause the calcium deficiency in the long term. Seaweeds are abundant in calcium (approximately 560–1200 mg per 100 g) and nutrients such as vitamins (approximately 150–400 mg per 1 kg) and minerals. In particular, high level of magnesium in the seaweed can assist the absorption of calcium. Accordingly, seaweeds can be a good source of nutrients to support OM therapy. Herein, we produced a solid dispersion (SD) which is composed of OM and seaweed calcium (SC) and can be suitable for the oral treatment, via the ultra-multiple crystal method. We also optimized the film formulation so that the SD could be absorbed quickly and efficiently by the oral cavity. Due to many advantages of using the oral thin film (OTF), we chose to fabricate OTF with our optimized dispersion method. OTF allows for both the rapid and efficient dissolution within the oral cavity and the protection of the active ingredient (i.e., OM) from rapid degradation under acidic conditions. The prepared SD samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal analysis of SD was conducted by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Hydrophobicity of SD was evaluated by the contact angle. Furthermore, the dissolution test and the HPLC analysis of SD were performed. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]