ABSTRACT
Development of tamarind seed gum (TSG)-hydrolyzed polymethacrylamide-g-gellan (h-Pmaa-g-GG) composite beads for extended release of diclofenac sodium using 32 full factorial design is the main purpose of this study. The ratio of h-Pmaa-g-GG and TSG and concentration of cross-linker CaCl2 were taken as independent factors with three different levels of each. Effects of polymer ratio and CaCl2 on drug entrapment efficiency (DEE), drug release, bead size and swelling were investigated. Responses such as DEE and different drug release parameters were statistically analyzed by 32 full factorial design using Design-Expert software and finally the formulation factors were optimized to obtain USP-reference release profile. Drug release rate was found to decrease with decrease in the ratio of h-Pmaa-g-GG:TSG and increase in the concentration of Ca2+ ions in cross-linking medium. The optimized formulation showed DEE of 93.25% and an extended drug release profile over a period of 10h with f2=80.13. Kinetic modeling unveiled case-I-Fickian diffusion based drug release mechanism.
