Abstract
Purpose: The objective of this work was to prepare and evaluate fast dissolving tablets of the nutraceutical, freeze dried Aloe vera gel. Methods: Fast dissolving tablets of the nutraceutical, freeze-dried Aloe vera gel, were prepared by dry granulation method. The tablets were evaluated for crushing strength, disintegration time, wetting time, friability, drug content and drug release. A 32 full factorial design was applied to investigate the combined effect of two formulation variables - amounts of microcrystalline cellulose and mannitol. Results: The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that in order to obtain a fast dissolving tablet of the Aloe vera gel, an optimum concentration of mannitol and a higher content of microcrystalline cellulose should be used. A response surface plot was also provided to graphically represent the effect of the independent variables on the disintegration time and wetting time. The validity of the generated mathematical model was tested by preparing a check point batch. Conclusion: This investigation has demonstrated that satisfactory fast dissolving Aloe vera gel tablets can be formulated. It also showed the potential of experimental design in understanding the effect of formulation variables on the quality of fast dissolving tablets. Keywords: Aloe vera, Fast dissolving tablet, Factorial design, Mathematical model, Mannitol, Microcrystalline celluloseTropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 8 (1) 2009: pp. 63-70
Highlights
The genus, Aloe, belongs to the family, Liliaceae, and includes the species Aloe barbadensis Miller, commercially known as Aloe vera
Hardness of the tablets was in the acceptable range of 2.56 to 3.55 kg/cm[2]
The results of the prelimnary studies (Table 1) revealed that the tablets containing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) exhibited rapid disintegration and wetting followed by tablets containing croscarmellose sodium (CCS), crospovidone (CLP), sodium starch glycolate (SSG) in that order
Summary
The genus, Aloe, belongs to the family, Liliaceae, and includes the species Aloe barbadensis Miller, commercially known as Aloe vera. The Aloe vera gel, beginning in the 50's, has gained recognition as a base for nutritional drinks and foods[2,3,4], as a moisturizer, and a healing agent in cosmetics[5] and OTC drugs[6]. When placed on the tongue, it disintegrates instantaneously, releasing the drug which dissolves or disperses in the saliva[9]. They are prepared by techniques such as tablet molding, spray drying, lyophilization, sublimation, or addition of disintegrants[10]. This study was undertaken to formulate a suitable fast dissolving nutraceutical tablet of freeze dried aloe vera gel (AVG), utilizing factorial design
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