Abstract

The study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of storage on drug release profile of tablets prepared by using mucilage isolated from the leaves and stems of Ficus palmata and fresh fruits of Artocarpus heterophyllus. Preformulation studies performed on isolated mucilage’s involved the determination of macroscopic properties, solubility behavior and other physicochemical properties of the mucilage’s. Compatibility studies including FTIR spectral analysis and drug-excipients physicochemical compatibility studies showed no signs of incompatibility between drug and isolated mucilage’s. Using different drug: polymer ratios viz. 1:0.25, 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:2, four formulations of Diclofenac sodium each containing 100mg of pure drug were prepared by wet granulation method. It was analyzed from the release pattern that even after storage up to one year, formulation FP-4 showed a slow and complete drug release of 96.12%, 95.89%, 92.11%, 89.26% over a period of 10-12 hr after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage respectively and AH-3 showed a slow and complete drug release of 97.06%, 95.08%, 90,32%, 87.14% over a period of 10-11 hr after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage respectively while H-4 showed complete drug release of 96.22%, 93.34%, 89.72% and 86.84% over a period of 8-10 hr after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage respectively for comparative purpose. Finally, it was concluded that, Ficus palmata mucilage and Artocarpus heterophyllus mucilage can serve as a good binding agent in formulating oral sustained release matrix tablets and also had the potentiality to give good drug release effects even after long term storage.