Development and Evaluation of Chewable Ciprofloxacin Tablet with Modified Grewia Gum - Starch Diluent

Abstract

Background: Chewable tablets improve drug bioavailability, but possess mechanical strength and friability challenges.

Objective: To examine the impact of grewia-gum-modified corn starch on the mechanical and release properties of ciprofloxacin tablets.

Methods: Blends of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 % grewia-gum in corn starch were sweetened with aspartame, kneaded, sieved, dried and labelled as A - E.  Each blend was wet granulated with ciprofloxacin dosage constituents and tested for pre-compression properties. The granules were compressed to tablets, and the tablets evaluated for drug physicochemical and permeation properties.

Results: Batch A demonstrated superior flow properties with flow rate > 10.28 g / s and angle of repose < 23.67 ̊. Batch E demonstrated the best model fit (R² = 0.9667), maximum compressibility (a = 0.4434), and highest compactability (b = 0.0053) in the Kawakita plot of densification values.  All the test tablets showed good physicochemical properties with tensile strength of 4.50 to 8.57 MN/m², friability < 1 %, with Batch E showing the lowest friability (0. 11 %), disintegration time < 90 sec, indicating fast release, >80% dissolution in 20 min and < 24.6 % drug permeation in 360 min.

Conclusion: The addition of Grewia gum reduced flow and improved compactibility of granules and improved tablet mechanical strength and disintegration time, and reduced tablet friability. These findings show the potential of grewia gum-modified corn starch to balance fast disintegration with mechanical strength in chewable tablet formulation, but also emphasize the importance of optimizing its concentration to balance flow and compressional properties.