FORMULATION, DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF GASTRORETENTIVE MATRIX TABLETS OF USING NATURAL POLYMERS FOR TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION
Abhishek Kumar Patel, B.K. Dubey, Kiran Satnami, Deepak Basedia
ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to formulate, develop, and evaluate gastroretentive matrix tablets of trazodone hydrochloride using natural polymers for the effective treatment of depression. Trazodone hydrochloride is an antidepressant drug with a relatively short half-life, which requires frequent dosing. Therefore, the development of a gastroretentive drug delivery system was considered to enhance gastric residence time and provide sustained drug release. The matrix tablets were prepared by the direct compression method using different concentrations of natural polymers. The prepared powder blends were evaluated for pre-compression parameters such as bulk density, tapped density, compressibility index, and Hausner’s ratio to determine their flow properties. The compressed tablets were further evaluated for post-compression parameters including thickness, hardness, weight variation, friability, and drug content. The swelling behavior and bioadhesion strength of the formulations were also determined to assess their gastroretentive potential. In-vitro drug release studies were performed to evaluate the release profile of trazodone hydrochloride from the matrix tablets. The results showed that all formulations exhibited acceptable physicochemical properties. Among the formulations, F5 showed higher swelling index, better bioadhesion strength, and sustained drug release up to 12 hours. The drug release kinetics indicated that the release mechanism followed the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, suggesting diffusion-controlled drug release. Thus, the developed gastroretentive matrix tablets of trazodone hydrochloride using natural polymers could be considered a promising approach for sustained drug delivery and improved therapeutic efficacy in the management of depression.
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