Characterization of Chitosan Obtained from Snail Shell (Achatina fulica) and its Excipient Potentials in Metronidazole Tablet Formulation

Abstract

The aim of the work was to characterize chitosan extracted from snail shell and evaluate its use as a disintegrant and binder in metronidazole tablet formulation in comparison with standard chitosan (SC). The mechanical properties were assessed using crushing strength and friability, while the release properties were assessed using disintegration and dissolution times. The extracted chitosan (EC) was crystalline in nature and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed polygonal particles with rough surface. The moisture and swelling capacity was 1.80% and 15.00%, respectively. The densities and flow properties were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of the SC. As a binder, the crushing strength of formulations containing EC was higher than SC, but both formulation failed friability test. There was significant difference between the disintegration times of the metronidazole formulations containing EC and SC as a disintegrant. The result showed that EC is more effective as a binder in tablet formulations.
 Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 20(1): 31-39, 2021 (June)

Facile synthesis and characterization of chitosan nanoparticles from Archachatina marginata shell as potential solution to antimicrobial resistance

“…5. ×1500 (a) and ×1000 (b) shows rough, grainy surface with clustering of uneven particles [25,52] while ×300 (c) reveals particles that were polygonal, rod-like and circular without agglomeration with crystalline feature [45]. Comparable morphological details were similar to work by [18], however it was at a magni cation level one hundred times higher than that employed in the present work.…”

“…Bragg re ections based on reference to the International Centre Diffraction Data (ICDD). Bragg's peaks of 26.20 o and 30 o are quite intense, which is characteristic of calcium being the most dominant element thus a rming chitosan as a crystalline material [45,46]. The average crystallite size of was 22.47 nm calculated using Scherer's equation and the presence of the sharp peaks and crystallite size suggests formation of nanoparticle.…”

“…500 nm (a) shows chitosan surface as dense, well organised with few gaps in between consisting of pseudo-spherical particles and randomly spread as akes [43]. 200 nm (b) indicates polygonal particles, rod-like structures and spherical voids on the surface [45]. These micrographs are similar to results obtained from Callinectes amnicola, Penaeus notialis, Penaeus semisulcatus shell wastes [43,47] The abundance of pores (shown as dark spots in both images) and their close spatial proximity along the microstructure are evidence of nanometric particles exhibited by chitosan.…”

Production and characterisation of chitosan from chitin of snail shells by sequential modification process

“…Waste generated from the shell of snails is the main precursor for the production of chitosan, but there is limited existing work on the use of the aforementioned shell during chitosan production processes. Athena archatina (tiger snail), Archatina fulica (land snail), Archachatina marginata (African giant), Limcolana aurora species, and other garden snails are distinct varieties of snails commonly found in the southern part of Nigeria, while the most commonly consumed as a delicacy is A. fulica, which belongs to the family Achantinidae (Oluyemisi et al, 2021;Igbinosa et al, 2016). The presence of a high content of carbohydrates (86.83/100 g-92.76/100 g) in snail shell is responsible for the high yield of chitosan in snail shell compared to the amount recorded in seafood waste (Ademolu et al, 2018).…”

“…The environmental pollution caused by snail shells was caused by the fact that snails are abundant during the rainy season (Ademolu et al, 2018). Restaurants, eateries, hotels, and club houses are the sources of discarded shells of snails that are responsible for a severe degree of threat to the environment (Oluyemisi et al, 2021). After removal of the edible portion of the snail, the shells are indiscriminately abandoned without proper disposal.…”