FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF MODIFIED PULSATILE CAPSULE FOR CHRONOPHARMACOTHERAPY OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIC PAIN

Objective: The objective of the present study was to design and evaluate pulsincap system for chrono pharmacotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis that combines advantages of both immediate and sustained release technology with the suitable delay of drug release. Methods: Pulsatile drug delivery system based on pulsincap® technology was designed using mucoadhesive microspheres and Tramadol bilayer tablet plugs. The drug-excipient interaction was carried out by FTIR. Hardness, thickness, lag time, and swelling index all play a role in optimizing tablet plugs. The microspheres were examined for parameters such as particle size, surface morphology, encapsulation efficiency, swelling index, % mucoadhesion, and in vitro dissolution. Results: In modified pulsincaps, bilayer tablet plug shows drug release within 40 min and hydrogel plugs shows good swelling index and suitable lag time. In microspheres formulations, MF9 is the most suitable among them as it shows better drug content, particle size, surface morphology, in vitro drug release, and release kinetics. The drug is released right away, followed by the dissolution of the enteric coating at pH 6.8, followed by a suitable delay of 6 hours, and then the maximum amount of drug release is 99.62% at the end of 10th h. Conclusion: The pulsatile delivery system developed with HPMCK4M and tamarindus gum as plugging material showed a satisfactory lag period when compared to Tamarindus gum alone. Drug release can be achieved from treated gelatin capsule and hydrogel plug for a prolonged period by MF9 formulation.