Synthesis of Biopolymeric Drug Binder from Plant-based waste

Abstract

Binders are agents employed to impart cohesiveness to the powdered material during the formulation of tablets which remains intact after compression. As part of continuing efforts to design a cost-effective pharmaceutical grade binder, two different types of plant-based polysaccharides such as hemicelluloses from corn cobs and mucilage from sapota seeds were extracted from domestic waste and used as a binder in amoxicillin tablet formulations using wet granulation technique. Finally the efficiency of the tablet was evaluated by different pre-compression and post-compression analysis. The in-vitro drug release profile of formulated tablets were assayed at different gastrointestinal tract pH. The extracted hemicellulose and mucilage were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). All the formulations with natural polymers produced tablets easily and showed satisfactory results. The sapota seed mucilage exhibited better in vitro drug release profile than the corn cob hemicellulose. The dissolution time of the tablets was found to be increased with increase in polymer concentration. Tablets with highest binder concentration showed controlled released dissolution pattern which is more essential and requirement for a good binder. Formulated tablets with sapota seed polymer showed maximum drug release of 83.56% at pH 7.4, and 96.36% at pH 1.2, where the corn cob polysaccharide showed 68.9% at pH 7.4, and 90.9% at pH 1.2. On the basis of drug release behavior it can be summarized that corn cob hemicellulose and sapota seed mucilage can act as excellent binder in dosage forms. Since it is of natural origin and these biopolymers available at low cost it may prove to be better binder over commercially used costly synthetic binders.