DEVELOPMENT AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF SUSTAINED RELEASE MATRIX TABLETS OF SALBUTAMOL SULPHATE USING HYDROPHILIC AND HYDROPHOBIC POLYMERS

In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers on the release profile of drug from matrix system. Salbutamol sulphate, an anti-asthmatic agent, was used as a model drug to evaluate its release characteristics from different matrices. Matrix tablets of salbutamol sulphate were prepared by direct compression process using hydrophobic polymer ethyl cellulose (F1-F4) and hydrophilic polymer HPMC (F4-F8). Release kinetics of salbutamol sulphate from these sustained release matrices in distilled water using USP paddle method with sinker for 12 h were studied. Statistically significant differences were found among the drug release profile from different formulations. The release mechanism was explored and explained with zero order, first order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer equations. The results generated in this study showed that the profile and kinetics of drug release were functions of polymer type, polymer level and physico-chemical properties of the drug. The present study concluded that the hydrophilic matrix tablets of formulation F8 prepared using HPMC showed drug release of 91.32% and can be employed as twice-a-day oral sustained release drug delivery system whereas hydrophobic matrix tablets of formulation F4 prepared using ethyl cellulose showed drug release of 64.2% and can be employed as once a day oral sustained release drug delivery system. Therefore, ethyl cellulose is suggested as an ideal polymer for production of directly compressed matrix sustained release salbutamol tablets.