Biophysical and biological characterization of intraoral multilayer membranes as potential carriers: A new drug delivery system for dentistry.

The current study developed through layer-by-layer deposition a multilayer membrane for intraoral drug delivery and analyzed the biochemical, functional, and biological properties of this membrane. For that purpose, we designed a three-layer chlorhexidine-incorporated membrane composed by pure chitosan and alginate. The biochemical, functional, and biological properties were analyzed by the following tests: degradation in saliva medium; controlled drug release; water absorption, mass loss; pH analysis; and biocompatibility through fibroblast cell viability by MTT assay. All tests were conducted at three different periods (24, 48 and 72hours). The results demonstrated that hybrid membranes composed by alginate and chitosan with glycerol had greater water absorption and mass loss in buffer solution and in artificial saliva. The controlled drug release test revealed that the hybrid membrane exhibited greater drug release (0.075%). All chlorhexidine-incorporated membranes reduced the cell viability, and chitosan membranes with and without glycerol did not interfere with fibroblast viability. The biochemical and biophysical characteristics of the designed membranes and the findings of cell viability tests indicate great potential for application in Dentistry.