Formulation of a new polymeric film of Propranolol hydrochloride using Psyllium as a natural polymer

Propranolol hydrochloride is a widely used beta blocker agent which is administered 3 times daily due to its short half life. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate polymeric film of propranolol hydrochloride using psyllium seed’s mucilage as a natural occurring substance in order to deliver the active agent in a controlled manner. In this study matrix polymeric films of propranolol hydrochloride using psyllium as a natural polymer and Eudragit RSPO, RLPO was designed and prepared by solvent evaporation technique. The dissolution behavior of the prepared films was evaluated using USP apparatus No. Π with some modifications including a disk which hold the patch at the bottom of the vessel. All the experiments were performed automatically and the dissolution tester was matched with a UV spectrophotometer. The results were compared with that of Eudragit. Some other characteristics such as film thickness, drug content, and release rate, kinetics of drug release and Dissolution Efficiency (DE) were also investigated. All calculations were done using Excel 2003 software. Kinetic analysis of the drug release from polymeric films indicated that release was predominantly attributable to the Peppas model and the in vitro release behavior of this new polymeric film prepared using natural polymer is comparable to that of semi synthetic polymer such as Eudragit with the advantage of low cost, ease of preparation and low skin irritability potential. The Results of this study indicated that the formulation prepared with 400 mg of psyllium could retard drug release rate significantly.