Effect of formulation variables on rifampicin loaded alginate beads

The present work investigated the preparation of biodegradable beads with alginate polymer by ionotropic gelation method to improve the control release properties of the antibiotic rifampicin. Ionotropic gelation method was applied to prepare beads using calcium chloride (CaCl2) as cationic component and alginate as an anionic component. In this method, adding 0.5% w/v polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to sodium alginate (3.0% w/v) and 2% w/v of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) to the CaCl2 solution were maintained to study the drug-loading and its released characteristics. The results showed that the addition of PVA and PVP significantly improved drug-loading, encapsulation efficiency and release characteristics. This demonstrates that the ionic gelation of alginate molecules offers a flexible and easily controllable process.