Properties of Tableted High-Amylose Corn Starch–Pectin Blend Microparticles Intended for Controlled Delivery of Diclofenac Sodium

This study reports the properties of tableted microparticles based on high-amylose corn starch (HACS)–pectin blend polymers as the controlled release system for diclofenac sodium (DS). HACS–pectin blend microparticles are prepared through a modified process by the spray drying technique, which is a widely used microencapsulation technique in the pharmaceutical industry. The mean particle size of various formulations of blend microparticles is in the range of 5.8–7.3 μm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy study reveals the absence of well-defined interaction between HACS–pectin and polymers–DS. The blend microparticles thus prepared were compressed into tablets using the directly compressible excipients. A cross-sectional view of the tablet reveals the presence of nearly spherical shaped particles in the tablet, suggesting that the system chosen is ideal for tableting. In vitro drug release study indicates that tableted microparticulate system is found to be suitable for the manipulation of release behavior for DS in the gastrointestinal tract. Release mechanism of the DS from tableted microparticles is by Fickian diffusion since the value of n approaches 0.5.