Leucaena leucocephala and Trigonella foenum graceum mucilage in the design of fast disintegrating tablets

Background: Glibenclamide is the second generation anti-diabetic drug used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Glibenclamide is practically insoluble in water, and possesses poor solubility, gastrointestinal absorption, and bioavailability. Aim: To prepare fast disintegrating tablets of glibenclamide in order to improve the dissolution rate and absorption. Materials and Methods: In this study, fast disintegrating tablets of glibenclamide were formulated with a view to enhance patient compliance by a direct compression method. In this method, mucilages of Leucaena leucocephala and Trigonella foenum-graceum were used as natural disintegrants and crospovidone as synthetic super disintegrant and directly compressible mannitol (Pearlitol SD 200) to enhance mouth feel. Results: The prepared batches of tablets were evaluated for hardness, friability, drug content uniformity, in vitro dispersion time, wetting time, water absorption ratio, in vitro drug release (in pH 6.8 phosphate buffer), stability studies (at 40°C/75% relative humidity for 3 months), and drug-excipients interaction (infra-red spectroscopy). Among all formulations, formulation (FG 3 ) containing 12% w/w of T. foenum-graceum was the overall best formulation (t50% = 8 min) based on the in vitro drug release characteristics as compared with the conventional commercial tablet formulation (t50% = 10 min). Stability studies on the formulation indicated that there are no significant changes in drug content and in vitro dispersion time (P < 0.05). Fourier transform-infra red studies revealed the integrity of the drug in the formulation. Conclusion: From the above work, it can be concluded that the fast disintegrating tablets of glibenclamide prepared using mucilage of L. leucocephala and T. foenum-graceum can be used as natural disintegrants for faster disintegration of tablets in mouth.