ABSTRACT
This study is a follow-up to our recent study published elsewhere. It is aimed at determining the physico – technical and antibacterial profiles of tablets formulated using ethanolic extracts of Combretum micranthum, and also determine if they meet pharmacopoeial specifications. The fresh leaves of Combretum micranthum were harvested during the rainy season in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. They were thoroughly washed and rinsed with distilled water, divided into three portions, and dried in hot air oven at 48 ºC (Sample A), sun (Sample B) and at room temperature (Sample C). They were pulverized, macerated in a transparent extraction tank using 70 % ethanol for 72 h at room temperature, and concentrated. The activity of each extract was tested on typed cultures of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922). The extract with the highest activity (Sample B) was selected for further studies. Phytochemical screening was carried out using standard methods. Six batches of granulations for tablets were produced using a predetermined formula. The flow rate, angle of repose, and compressibility indices of the granules were determined, and uniformity of weight, hardness, friability and disintegration time of the tablets were determined using pharmacopoeial methods. The results show that the sun-dried leaves of C. micranthum have constituents that exhibited the highest activity against cultures of S. aureus and E. coli. The phytochemical screening on the sun-dried leaves extract revealed that tannins were present in large quantities while phlobatannins and anthraquinones were absent. The results of the flow and compressibility properties of the granules from sun-dried extract revealed generally poor flow and high compressibility for all the batches. The tablet hardness values for all the batches were greater than 5 kg. The friability value for each batch was less than 1 %. The tablets have maximum disintegration time of 101 min. These results showed that the extract could be used to produce sustained release or delayed release tablets.