Natural excipients can serve as alternative to synthetic products because of local accessibility, biodegradability, eco-friendly nature and cost effectiveness as compared to synthetic products. Therefore, it is a current need to explore natural excipients that can be used as an effective alternative excipient for the formulation of pharmaceutical dosage forms. Adansonia digitata (Malvaceae) has been traditionally used as febrifuge, antiasthmatic and also in the treatment of dysentery, smallpox, and measles. Reports have indicated that mucilage of the leaves of the plant is edible and nontoxic; hence, the present study is an attempt of isolation and evaluation of mucilage obtained from leaves of Adansonia digitata as suspending agent. Various physicochemical as well as suspending agent properties of mucilage were studied. Mucilage obtained from leaves has shown comparable results with sodium carboxy methyl cellulose.

Albendazole, a drug for the treatment of gastrointestinal nematode infection, is variably and erratically absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration. The present study was aimed at developing matrix tablets of albendazole using guar gum as carrier for colon targeting in order to provide an effective and safe therapy for helminthiasis. To improve its bioavailability, the formation of inclusion complexes of albendazole with b-cyclodextrins was investigated. Matrix tablets of albendazole-b-cyclodextrin complex were prepared by the wet granulation method using guar gum as matrix carrier in various proportions: 20% (SAC-20), 30% (SAC-30), and 40% (SAC-40). A high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method was developed to quantitate albendazole using mebendazole as internal standard at 254 nm. The granules were compressed using 12-mm round, flat, and plain punches. Tablets were evaluated for various physical characteristics such as thickness, hardness, and drug content uniformity. The matrix tablets were subjected to in vitro drug release studies in 0.1 N HCl (2 h), pH 7.4 Sorensen's phosphate buffer (3 h) and simulated colonic fluids. The SAC-30 released 67.771.9% of albendazole in the presence of rat caecal contents, whereas in the control study the formulation released only 29.770.2% of albendazole. A significant difference (Po0.001) was observed at 24 h in the amount of albendazole released from SAC-30 when compared to the dissolution study without rat caecal contents. The study shows that the release of albendazole in the physiological environment of colon is due to the microbial degradation of guar gum compression-coated tablets in the presence of rat caecal contents. Stability studies were carried out at 401C/75% relative humidity for 6 months to assess their long-term (2 years) stability. No change either in their physical appearance or in drug content was observed. Drug Dev. Res. 65:76-83, 2005.

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The aim of this study was to design orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) of Lamotrigine. It is an Antiepileptic drug which is widely used in epilepsy. It is also used in simple and complex partial seizures and secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. It is poorly water soluble drug (0.46 mg/ml). Thus, an attempt was made to enhance the water solubility by complexation with β-cyclodextrin (1:1 molar ratios). The orally disintegrating tablet of lamotrigine was prepared by direct compression method using different concentration of superdisintegrants such as Sodium starch glycollate, croscarmellose sodium by sublimating agent such as camphor. The formulations were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, friability, drug content, wetting time, in vitro disintegration time and in vitro dissolution studies. The prepared tablets were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The disintegration time for the complexed tablets prepared by different concentration of superdisintegrants was found to be in range of 32.54 ± 0.50 to 55.12 ± 0.57 sec and wetting time of the formulations was found to be in range of 28.47 ± 0.67 to 52.19 ± 0.72 sec. All the formulation showed almost 100 percent of drug release within 15 min. Among all the formulation F6 and F7 prepared with 18% croscarmellose sodium and camphor shows faster drug release, respectively 10 min, F6 gives good result for disintegration time, drug release, wetting time and friability. Further formulations were subjected to stability testing for 30 days at temperature of 40 ± 5 ºC/75 ± 5 %RH. Tablets showed no appreciable changes with respect to physical appearance, drug content, disintegration time and dissolution profiles. Results were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA at a p < 0.05. It was found that, the data at any point of time are significant at p < 0.05.

Mucoadhesive buccal tablets containing ondansetron hydrochloride (ODH) were prepared using polymers like gelatin, chitosan, xanthan gum in varying concentration of 5, 10, 15% w/w and HPMC K4M 40% w/w by direct compression technique. Precompressional studies revealed good micromeritic properties of powder blend for compression and were found as per literature limits. The prepared tablets were evaluated for thickness, hardness, uniformity of weight, drug content, friability, swelling index, mucoadhesion strength, in vitro disintegration, dissolution time and permeation studies. The formulations containing xanthan gum gave better mucoadhesion, release characteristics compared to those containing gelatin and chitosan and the rank order of mucoadhesion and permeation across sheep buccal mucosa was xanthan gum > chitosan> gelatin. The tablets apart from fulfilling all the official specifications, exhibited higher rate of release, in vitro release from all ODH buccal tablets followed Super case II transport due to polymer chain disentanglement and relaxation. and found to be stable upon conducting stability studies as per ICH guidelines at 40ºC/75 % RH. The results revealed that mucoadhesive buccal tablets containing ODH were successfully formulated by direct compression technique as an alternative to conventional tablets for therapy of nausea condition in patients.