Formulation Development and Evaluation of Aceclofenac Chitosan Microspheres

INTRODUCTION Oral controlled release dosage forms have been developed over the past three decades due to their considerable therapeutic advantages such as ease of administration, patient compliance and flexibility in formulation. The controlled release drug delivery systems are aimed at controlling the rate of drug delivery, sustaining the duration of therapeutic activity and/or targeting the delivery of the drug to a tissue. Drug release from these systems should be at a desired rate, predictable and reproducible. [1] Among the various approaches for controlled systems, microencapsulation process and microcapsules have gained good acceptance as a process to achieve controlled release and drug targeting. Microspheres carrier systems made from the naturally occurring biodegradable polymers have attracted considerable attention for several years in sustained drug delivery. Recently, dosage forms that can precisely control the release rates and target drugs to a specific body site have made an enormous impact in the formulation and development of novel drug delivery systems. Microspheres form an important part of such novel drug delivery systems. [2] They have varied applications and are prepared using assorted polymers. However, the success of these microspheres is limited owing to their short residence time at the site of absorption. It would, therefore, be advantageous to have means for providing an intimate contact of the drug delivery system with the absorbing membranes. This can be achieved by coupling bioadhesion characteristics to microspheres and developing bioadhesive microspheres. Bioadhesive microspheres have advantages such as efficient absorption and enhanced bioavailability of drugs owing to a high surface-to-volume ratio, a much more intimate contact with the mucus layer, and Original Article