SUMMARY
The objective of the present study was to develop stomach-specific drug delivery system of rifabutin and to evaluate their effectiveness in eradication of Helicobacter pylori in experimental Mongolian gerbil model.Rifabutin loaded floating gellan gum beads prepared by calcium induced ionotropic gelation in acidic medium. The prepared beads were evaluated for in vitro characterization and in vivo Helicobacter pylori clearance efficiency following repeated oral administration to Helicobacter pylori infected Mongolian gerbils. Our results showed that the rifabutin loaded floating beads possess significant anti- Helicobacter pylori effect in the in vivo gerbil model.The findings support that rifabutin floating beads could be a promising gastrointestinal drug delivery system in treatment of Helicobacter pylori.Keywords: Rifabutin, floating beads, gellan gum, Helicobacter pylori.