Caffeine–Clove Oil Medicated Chewing Gum: Formulation Strategies, Current Challenges and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Medicated Chewing Gum (MCG) is a mobile drug delivery system that is useful for delivery of drugs both locally and systemically via the oral cavity. It has benefits like quick onset of action, enhanced patient compliance, and bypasses first-pass metabolism. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that has been shown to be efficiently used in the formulations of medicated chewing gum because of its rapid absorption into the body via the buccal route and rapid pharmacological action. Clove oil is a highly concentrated source of eugenol and it has potential as an antimicrobial agent, pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent, especially when used in the mouth cavity. This combination may offer dual therapeutic benefits. While clove oil offers analgesic and antimicrobial action in the oral cavity, caffeine offers an adjuvant analgesic effect and CNS stimulation. Thus, this combination may provide a synergistic activity. Although caffeine and clove oil have therapeutic value, their application as a unit form of medication in a chewing gum has not been widely investigated. The purpose of this review is to discuss the pharmacology, current challenges, manufacturing and release strategies and possible synergistic action of caffeine and clove oil in chewing gum. Adopting new strategies including microencapsulation, emulsification, nano-delivery systems and controlled-release technology offers a good opportunity to improve stability, taste masking and drug release profile from the gum matrix.