Development and evaluation of Ibuprofen-calcium alginate beads

Sanchita Mandal ^a*, Sanat Kumar Basu ^b,

^a Division of Pharmaceutics, H.K. College of Pharmacy, Jogeshwari (w) Mumbai 400102

^b Ex-Professor, Division of Pharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India

*Corresponding author: sm_pharm@yahoo.co.in

ABSTRACT

THE objective of this study was to develop a sustained release dosage form of Ibuprofen (IBP) using a natural polymeric carrier prepared in a completely aqueous environment. IBP was entrapped in calcium alginate bead prepared with sodium alginate by ionotropic gelation method using calcium chloride as a crosslinking agent. The drug was incorporated either into preformed calcium alginate gel beads (sequential method) or incorporated simultaneously during the gelation stage (simultaneous method). The beads were evaluated for particle size and surface morphology using optical microscopy and SEM respectively. Beads produced by the sequential method had higher drug entrapment. Drug entrapment in the sequential method increases with increase in CaCl₂ and polymer concentration but decreased with increase in drug concentration. And in the simultaneous method drug entrapment increases when polymer and drug concentration were increased and it increased to a certain extent with increase in CaCl ₂ concentration and further increase resulted in lower drug loading. FTIR studies revealed that there is no interaction between drug and CaCl₂. XRD studies show that crystalline drug changed to amorphous state after formulation. Release characteristics of the IBP loaded calcium alginate beads were studied in enzyme free simulated gastric and intestinal fluid.

Key words: Sodium Alginate, Calcium alginate bead, Ibuprofen, ionotropic gelation.