Introduction:Superporous hydrogel (SPH) swells very rapidly in a shorter period of time to an equilibrium size and contains highly porous structure.Aim:The synthesis of SPH of poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) and its composites viz. Ac-Di-Sol and polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) was carried out by solution polymerization.Materials and Methods:The SPH and SPH composites (SPHCs) were characterized by measurement of apparent density, porosity, swelling, mechanical strength, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies.Results:FTIR studies confirmed the existence of acrylamide and acrylic acid in SPH. In distilled water SPH showed tremendous increase in equilibrium swelling capacity with conventional SPH as compared to its SPHCs of Ac-Di-Sol and PVP due to the increased in physical cross-linking network, respectively. The presence of Ac-Di-Sol and PVP in SPHCs increased the mechanical strength as compared to conventional SPH which is suitable for gastric retention. SEM pictures clearly indicated the formation of interconnected pores and capillary channels.Conclusion:The amount and type of polymers used affect almost all the characterization parameters of SPHs, and hence, depending upon the applications perspective such polymers could be used in drug delivery systems, successfully.

Purpose:The purpose of this research work was to formulate raft-forming chewable tablets of H2 antagonist (Famotidine) using a raft-forming agent along with an antacid- and gas-generating agent.Materials and Methods:Tablets were prepared by wet granulation and evaluated for raft strength, acid neutralisation capacity, weight variation, % drug content, thickness, hardness, friability and in vitro drug release. Various raft-forming agents were used in preliminary screening. A 23 full-factorial design was used in the present study for optimisation. The amount of sodium alginate, amount of calcium carbonate and amount sodium bicarbonate were selected as independent variables. Raft strength, acid neutralisation capacity and drug release at 30 min were selected as responses.Results:Tablets containing sodium alginate were having maximum raft strength as compared with other raft-forming agents. Acid neutralisation capacity and in vitro drug release of all factorial batches were found to be satisfactory. The F5 batch was optimised based on maximum raft strength and good acid neutralisation capacity. Drug–excipient compatibility study showed no interaction between the drug and excipients. Stability study of the optimised formulation showed that the tablets were stable at accelerated environmental conditions.Conclusion:It was concluded that raft-forming chewable tablets prepared using an optimum amount of sodium alginate, calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate could be an efficient dosage form in the treatment of gastro oesophageal reflux disease.

Bioadhesive superporous hydrogel composite (SPHC) particles were developed for an intestinal delivery of metoprolol succinate and characterized for density, porosity, swelling, morphology, and bioadhesion studies. Chitosan and HPMC were used as bioadhesive and release retardant polymers, respectively. A 32 full factorial design was applied to optimize the concentration of chitosan and HPMC. The drug loaded bioadhesive SPHC particles were filled in capsule, and the capsule was coated with cellulose acetate phthalate and evaluated for drug content, in vitro drug release, and stability studies. To ascertain the drug release kinetics, the drug release profiles were fitted for mathematical models. The prepared system remains bioadhesive up to eight hours in intestine and showed Hixson-Crowell release with anomalous nonfickian type of drug transport. The application of SPHC polymer particles as a biomaterial carrier opens a new insight into bioadhesive drug delivery system and could be a future platform for other molecules for intestinal delivery.

Background: Superporous hydrogel (SPH) swells very rapidly in a shorter period of time to an equilibrium size and contains highly porous structure. The literature survey reflects the preparation of SPHs and its composite, but its application as an excipient in a drug delivery system is not well focused. Aim: Efforts were made to develop fast disintegrating tablets of Glipizide using superporous hydrogel particles (SPHPs) as a wicking agent, which act as a superdisintegrant to decrease disintegration time. Materials and Methods: The SPH of poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) was prepared by solution polymerization and characterized. Prepared tablets were evaluated for concerned parameters. Formulation optimization was carried out using 3 2 full factorial design and analysis of variance. Results: Scanning electron microscopy pictures clearly confirmed the superporous structure of hydrogel. Batch F 4 containing 4% w/w of SPH of poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) as a superdisintegrant showed extremely fast wicking effect and lesser disintegration time compared with other potential superdisintegrants. Drug release was good compared with conventional immediate release marketed product. Conclusion: It can be concluded that SPHPs can be used as a potential superdisintegrant in tablet formulation.