Curcumin has been widely used in healthcare for a long time because of the promising
pharmacological activities and good safety profile. However, its poor aqueous solubility
and rapid metabolism are major challenges in designing a suitable dosage form. Novel
raft forming chewable tablets incorporating curcumin-Eudragit® EPO solid dispersions
are developed to deliver the curcumin in stomach for treatment of gastric ulcers.
The solvent evaporation method was used for preparing the curcumin-Eudragit® EPO solid
dispersions. Then, the curcumin-Eudragit® EPO solid dispersions were incorporated
in raft forming chewable tablets compressed by direct compression method. The developed
raft forming chewable tablets were orange in colour, with a convex surface. They floated
within 5 to 14 s and maintain floating more than 24h in acidic medium. The amount
of curcumin released was between 40 to 70% in 8h depending on the tablet composition.
The selected formulation mainly comprises 100 mg of sodium alginate, 50 mg of calcium
carbonate, 90 mg of curcumin solid dispersion and other tablet excipients. This study
demonstrates the successful development of the novel raft forming chewable tablets
containing curcumin solid dispersions as a promising carrier for a stomach-specific
delivery of lipophilic compounds.
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