Design, optimization and evaluation of ibuprofen fast dissolving tablets employing starch tartrate: A new superdisintegrant

The current scenario deals with the study of fast dissolving tablets for the patients suffering from swallowing, sickness ,etc.  The present investigation involves in the evaluation of starch tartrate as a superdintegrant in the formulation of fast dissolving tablets of poorly soluble drugs employing 23factorial design. Starch tartrate was synthesized by esterification process. The synthesized starch tartrate was subjected to physical and micromeritic evaluation. All fast dissolving tablets were evaluated for drug content, hardness, friability, disintegration time and other dissolution characteristics like percent dissolved in 5 min (PD5), dissolution efficiency in 5 min (DE5%) and first order rate constant(K1). The starch tartrate prepared was found to be fine, free flowing slightly crystalline powder. Starch tartrate exhibited good swelling in water.Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study indicated the absence of interaction between ibuprofen and starch tartrate. All the fast dissolving tablets formulated employing starch tartrate were of good quality with regard to drug content (200±5%), hardness (3.6–3.9 kg/sq. cm), and friability (0.12-0.15%). The optimised formulation F2 has the least disintegration time i.e., 9±0. 03s. The in–vitro wetting time was less (i.e., 60s) in optimized formulation F2. The water absorption ratio of the formulated tablets was found to be in the range of 27.53±0.12 to 69.75±0.18%. The cumulative drug dissolved in the optimized formulation F2 was found to be 100.17±0.56% in 5 min. Starch tartrate was found to be a superdisintegrant which enhanced the dissolution efficiency with the ibuprofen and hence it could be used in the formulation of fast dissolving tablets to bring immediate release of the contained drug within 5 minutes. Keywords: Fast dissolving, Superdisintegrant, Starch tartrate, Dissolution efficiency.