Formulation Development and In-Vitro Evaluation of Gastroretentive Floating tablets of Atenolol

The purpose of the study was to prolong the gastric residence time and increase the bioavailability of atenolol by designing its floating tablets and to study the influence of different polymers on its release rate. It was selected as a model drug, because it is poorly absorbed from the lower GIT. The tablets were prepared by direct compression technique, using different polymers such as hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC K4M, K15M), Guargum (GG) and sodium bicarbonate alone or in combination, and other standard excipients. The physical characteristics of tablets were evaluated viz. hardness, thickness, weight variation, swelling index and floating capacity. Further, tablets were evaluated for in-vitro drug release characteristics for 12 hr. The effect of effervescent on buoyancy and drug release pattern was also studied. In vitro drug release mechanism was evaluated by linear regression analysis. The formulation used by high percentage of guargum provides significantly greater swelling index compared with other formulations. The tablets were exhibited desired floating and prolonged drug release up to 12 hrs.