Preparation and Evaluation of a Novel Wuji Gastric Floating Sustained-Release Pellet

In this study, a novel gastric floating sustained-release pellet was developed and evaluated. The drug-loaded effervescent inner-core was prepared by melt pelletization and retarding gas-entrapped film was coated by air-flow coating. Combination of response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) based on one factor tests were employed to optimize the inner-core formula. The optimum formulation was 66.5% Glycerol monostearate 40-50 and Stearic alcohol content (7:6, g/g) for the binder, 8.5% calcium carbonate for gas-generating agent,7% hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC K100M) for hydrophilic gel material, and 10% weight gain of Eudragit (R) NE30D. The final pellets exhibited ideal floatability and release characteristics. These results indicated that the Wuji gastric floating pellets could be a potential gastro-retentive delivery preparation.

Automated summary

A novel gastric floating sustained-release pellet was developed and evaluated in this study. The drug-loaded effervescent inner-core was prepared using melt pelletization, and a retarding gas-entrapped film was coated using air-flow coating. The optimal inner-core formula was determined using response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD). The final pellets exhibited ideal floatability and release characteristics, indicating that they have the potential to be a gastro-retentive delivery preparation.