Effect of source variation on drug release from HPMC tablets: linear regression modeling for prediction of drug release.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of source variation of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) raw material on prediction of drug release from HPMC matrix tablets. To achieve this objective, the flow ability (i.e., angle of repose and Carr's compressibility index) and apparent viscosity of HPMC from 3 sources was investigated to differentiate HPMC source variation. The physicochemical properties of drug and manufacturing process were also incorporated to develop the linear regression model for prediction of drug release. Specifically, the in vitro release of 18 formulations was determined according to a 2 × 3 × 3 full factorial design. Further regression analysis provided a quantitative relationship between the response and the studied independent variables. It was found that either apparent viscosity or Carr's compressibility index of HPMC powders combining with solubility and molecular weight of drug had significant impact on the release behavior of drug. The increased drug release was observed when a greater in drug solubility and a decrease in the molecular weight of drug were applied. Most importantly, this study has shown that the HPMC having low viscosity or high compressibility index resulted in an increase of drug release, especially in the case of poorly soluble drugs.