Development and characterization of oral film for the local release of simvastatin

The development of stable and easy-to-apply mucoadhesive oral systems is challenging and necessary for the treatment of oral pathologies. Simvastatin (SMV) is a drug that has demonstrated potential for use in this region. Thus, the objective was to develop a chitosan-based oral film incorporated with SMV emulsion for sustained drug release. The films were produced by solvent casting, using 1% chitosan and 2.5% SMV emulsion (90:10) (FM_SMV). The control group (FM_BLK) had the same composition, without SMV. The characterization of the film involved the description of the physical properties, analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), mechanical strength, analysis of content and release profile and evaluation of antimicrobial properties against oral microorganisms.