Studies on drug release kinetics from ibuprofen–carbomer hydrophilic matrix tablets: influence of co-excipients on release rate of the drug

Controlled-release (CR) matrix tablets of ibuprofen (IBF) and Carbopol® 934P, and blended mixture of Carbopol® 934P and 971P resins, at different drug to polymers ratios, were prepared by the direct compression method. The investigation focuses on the influence of the proportion of the matrix material, and several co-excipients (lactose, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and starch) on the mechanism and release rate of the drug from the tablets. In vitro drug release in pH 7.2 phosphate buffer solution appears to occur both by diffusion and a swelling-controlled mechanism, exhibiting either anomalous or Case II type transport. The release process could be described by plotting the fraction released versus time and fitting data to the simple exponential model: M t / M ∞= kt n . The release kinetics were modified when the blended mixtures of Carbopol® 934P and 971P resins were used as the matrix materials. In general, all of the co-excipients, used in this study, enhanced the release rate of IBF. However, lactose demonstrated slower and more linear release behavior as compared to microcrystalline cellulose or starch. The dissolution T 50 and T 90 values for the three co-excipients were in the order of lactose>microcrystalline cellulose>starch.