Caspofungin formulations for buccal and sublingual mucosae anti-fungal infections: physicochemical characterization, rheological analysis, release and

Oral candidiasis is often challenging due to limited effectiveness of topical treatments. This study aimed to develop novel caspofungin formulations for administration onto the oral mucosa to enhance drug retention and efficacy. Five caspofungin (2%, w/v) formulations were developed to assess their permeability, retention and mucoadhesiveness. Formulation composed of chitosan demonstrated the highest retention in both buccal (5183.24 ± 587.32 µg/cm The developed formulations offer distinct advantages for treating oral candidiasis, with chitosan formulation emerging as the most promising due to its superior retention, mucoadhesion force, and spreadability, making it a potential candidate for further clinical investigation.