Calcium pectinate-fenugreek seed mucilage mucoadhesive beads for controlled delivery of metformin HCl.

Calcium pectinate-fenugreek seed mucilage (FSM) mucoadhesive beads containing metformin HCl was developed through ionic-gelation. Effects of pectin and FSM amounts on drug encapsulation efficiency (DEE) and cumulative drug release at 10h (R10 h) were optimized using 3(2) factorial design. The DEE (%) was within the range of 63.16 ± 2.88 to 96.03 ± 4.67% (w/w). The in vitro drug release from these beads (56.64 ± 1.47 to 93.63 ± 4.52% over 10h) was followed controlled-release (zero-order) pattern (R(2)=0.993 to 0.997) with super case-II transport mechanism. The average size of beads was within 1.47 ± 0.14 to 2.08 ± 0.18 mm. The beads were also characterized by SEM and FTIR. The swelling and mucoadhesivity of these beads were influenced by pH of the medium. The optimized beads also exhibited good mucoadhesivity and significant hypoglycemic effect in alloxan-induced diabetic rats over prolonged period after oral administration.