Volume 1

October-December 2009

Development and evaluation of gellan gum based hydrogel microbeads for controlled release of ketoprofen

B S Mangond, V Sreedhar, V V Baraskar, R V Kulkarni

Abstract:
Compared to single unit-dosage forms, multi-unit controlled release dosage forms like microbeads and microparticles are advantageous as they prevent the exposure of absorbing site to high drug concentration on chronic dosing. Gellan gum based hydrogel microbeads loaded with ketoprofen were prepared by ionotropic gelation method and evaluated for size analysis, surface morphology, dynamic swelling and drug release behavior. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the prepared beads were spherical in nature. The effects of crosslinking agent and polymer concentrations on the release of drug were studied. With increase in concentrations of crosslinking agent and polymers, a decreased drug release was observed. The release data were fitted to an empirical equation to calculate the release mechanism. Drug release followed non-Fickian mechanism. Thus the prepared microbeads are useful carriers for controlled release of ketoprofen.

Keywords: Ketoprofen, Hydrogel Beads, Gellan Gum, Controlled Release.