Rosin Microspheres as Taste Masking Agent in Oral Drug Delivery System

Natural resources in general and plant materials in particular are receiving more attention due to their safety as pharmaceutical excipients. Present work assessed the combination potential of natural hydrophobic resin, rosin, and synthetic polymer ethyl cellulose to mask the abhorrent inherent taste of ambroxol hydrochloride, by microencapsulation technique, and its possibility to formulate as a fast dissolving dosage form. Being of natural origin, rosin and its derivatives are biodegradable and biocompatible. Although It has excellent film forming property the native rosin films are brittle and break easily upon handling. The film forming properties of rosin was modified by substituting a part with ethyl cellulose.The prepared rosinethyl cellulose composite microspheres by emulsion solvent evaporation technique possessed good sphericity, smooth surface morphology, uniform and narrow size distribution (1090 μm), when analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. PEG 400 was used as plasticizer because of its hydrophilicity, biocompatibility and their excellent plasticizing activity. Method of preparation has influenced the particle size and drug loading efficiency. Drug-polymer compatibility was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thin layer chromatography. DSC studies revealed that the drug was molecularly dispersed inside the microspheres in the form of solid solution. Sensory studies in healthy human volunteers indicated that the taste and palatability were significantly improved by microencapsulation. This study demonstrated that rosin could be a right choice in developing patient favored formulations for bitter drugs and can be utilized in fast disintegrating dosage forms as well. INTRODUCTION: Plant materials contributed significantly to the repertoire of medicines since ancient times, are screened for their use as pharmaceutical adjuvant too. Many synthetic, semi synthetic and naturally occurring polymers have been found favor as release retarding components in microsphere preparation. Some of these naturally occurring materials include lipids, waxes, albumin, gelatin, polysaccharide like alginate and chitosan . In the present study, we report the novel application of a natural hydrophobic resin, rosin as taste masking agent in the oral drug delivery system. Rosin, is a solid resin obtained from Pinus palustris Miller and other species of Pinus linnae.It is composed of approximately 90% of rosin acids, prominent ones include abietic acid and have a typical molecular formula C20H30O2. The oral toxicity (LD50) studies on guinea pigs have proved rosin being practically nontoxic . Correspondence to Author: Shery Jacob Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE E-mail: [email protected]