Comparative study on effect of natural and synthetic superdisintegrants in the formulation of fast dissolving tablets

Abstract

In the present study, the effects of a natural superdisintegrant vis-a-vis isolated mucilage of Plantago ovata and synthetic superdisintegrants like sodium starch glycolate (SSG) and croscarmellose sodium (Ac-di-sol) were compared in the formulations of fast dissolving tablets (FDT). FDTs of aceclofenac (model drug) were prepared by direct compression method using microcrystalline cellulose as direct compressible vehicle. Th ose tablets were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, disintegration time, drug content, friability and dissolution. Swelling index was also investigated with an aim to compare the swelling property of mucilage of Plantago ovata with SSG and Ac-di-sol. Among all the super disintegrants, Plantago ovata mucilage showed the highest swelling index. Hence, the present study revealed that this natural superdisintegrant (Plantago ovata mucilage) showed better disintegrating property than the most widely used synthetic super disintegrants like SSG and Ac-di-sol in the formulations of FDTs. Key words: Fast dissolving drug delivery, Plantago ovata mucilage, swelling index, sodium starch glycolate, croscarmellose sodium