Evaluation of Abelmoschus starch as tablet disintegrant

Seed starch (16.0%w/w) obtained from Abelmoschus moschatus Linn. (Malvaceae) was employed as a disintegrant to paracetamol tablets at concentrations of 2.5-10.0% w/w. The granules prepared by wet granulation technique were evaluated for percentage of fines and flow properties. Tablet properties including thickness, content uniformity, average weight and weight variation, hardness, friability, disintegration time and drug dissolution were evaluated. With increasing Abelmoschus starch concentrations, the formulations disintegrate and dissolve rapidly due to its low viscosity and high swelling factor. The disintegrant efficiency of extracted starch was compared with that of the corn starch in tablets prepared using magnesium stearate, aerosol, corn starch and microcrystalline cellulose as diluent, drug and binder, respectively. The disintegration time for tablet formulations prepared using 10% w/w extracted starch was less (160 s) than that of the tablet formulations prepared using corn starch as a disintegrant (166 s). Dissolution studies showed that the drug release from the tablet containing 7.5 to 10% w/w was 70-90% in 1 hr. Tablets at 10% w/w concentration showed more optimum results as tablet disintegrant. Studies indicated that A. moschatus starch is a superior disintegrant in tablet formulation.