Multiparticulate based thermosensitive intra-pocket forming implants for better treatment of bacterial infections in periodontitis

Abstract Considering alarming projections in the prevalence of periodontitis, following study was undertaken to develop chitosan-vanillin crosslinked microspheres loaded in-situ gel (MLIG) implants containing ornidazole and doxycycline hyclate for the treatment of pocket infections. Firstly, microspheres were formulated and optimized using response surface methodology for particle size 80%, in-vitro drug release (T 80% ) >7 days and acceptable mucoadhesion. Further, MLIG were optimized for gelation temperature of 34–37 °C and viscosity In-vitro dissolution study demonstrated non-Fickian type of drug release mechanism for twelve days. Stability studies ascertained MLIG implants were sterilizable and stable for about 11.29 months on refrigeration. The formulations exhibited significant (p  Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , and Enterococcus faecalis , and were found biocompatible and biodegradable during preclinical studies. Ligature-induced periodontal rat model, corroborated significant growth (p