Development and Characterization of Ethyl Cellulose Coated Microcapsules for Controlled Release of Ampicillin

Rajendra Jangde¹*, Sanjay Daharwal¹, Deependra Singh¹ and Ram Kumar Sahu²

¹University Institute of Pharmacy, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010 India.

²Oriental College of Pharmacy, Raisen Road, Bhopal - 462 021 India.

Corresponding Author E-mail: rjangdepy@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: Prolonged-release microcapsules of Ampicillin Hydrochloride (AH) were prepared by employing ethyl cellulose as a polymer in various ratios of 1:1, 1:3 & 1:4, by emulsion solvent diffusion technique. Scanning electron microscope photographs of samples revealed that all prepared microcapsules were almost spherical in shape and have a slightly smooth surface and evaluated for particle size, shape, flow properties, wall thickness, drug encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release performance. The drug carrier interactions were investigated in solid state by FT-IR spectroscopy. The present study concerned with the development and characterization of ampicillin microcapsules prepared by thermal change method using different ratios (1:1, 1:3 and 1:4) of ethyl cellulose in order to select the best microcapsule formulation with a good encapsulation efficiency and drug release profile. The obtained microcapsules were discrete, spherical with free flowing properties. The encapsulation efficiency was found to be in the range of 66.17-72.99%. The in vitro release profile of Ampicillin indicates that all the batches of microcapsules showed controlled and prolonged drug release over an extended period of 12 h. Drug release from the microcapsules (F1 and F2) was 56-51 % in first 6 hours, with the initial burst of nearly 50% within one hour. Drug release from microcapsules (F1 and F2) was 60-56% and sustained up to 8 h with initial burst of 50-54 % in first 6 h, resulted with increase in cross-linking time for 5-6 hours, Drug release from microcapsules (F2 and F3) sustained the drug release up-to 12 hours, The therapeutic effect of drugs that have a short biological half-life may be enhanced by formulating them as extended- or sustained-release dosage forms. Extended- and sustained-release dosage forms prolong the time that systemic drug levels are within the therapeutic range and, thus, reduce the number of doses the patient must take to maintain a therapeutic effect, thereby increasing compliance.

KEYWORDS: Microcapsules; Ampicillin; Ethyl cellulose; Sustain release

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