Diclofenac Sodium Loaded Sustained Release Matrix Tablet Possessing Natural and Synthetic Polymers: Formulation and in vitro Characterization

Object: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of various concentrations of natural and synthetic polymers on in vitro drug release from sustained release matrix tablets. Materials and method: HPMC K4M and acacia gum were used as synthetic (hydrophilic) and natural (hydrophobic) polymers respectively. Diclofenac sodium was used as a model drug to study the in vitro release profile. Matrix tablets of Diclofenac sodium were fabricated by varying the concentrations of both natural and synthetic polymer via direct compression method. Result: The results of all evaluation parameters of the matrix tablet were within the acceptable limit. A significant difference was observed on in vitro drug release due to difference in polymers and their concentration. HPMC K4M in the concentration of 7% w/v showed 88.20 +/- 0.056% cumulative drug release at the end of 10 h while the same concentration of acacia showed 85.22% +/- 0.045%. The release mechanism of matrix tablet followed zero order release kinetics. The finding of current investigation clearly indicates that the synthetic polymer was given a more sustained release profile than natural polymer on varied concentration. Conclusion: On comparing in vitro release of optimized formulation with marketed preparation, it was concluded that F3 was found to be more efficient and promising than marketed preparation.