Characteristics of hydrogel as disintegrant in solid dose technology.

A comparison between a hydrogel and the disintegrants Ac-di-sol, Avicel, maize starch and Primojel has been made using theophylline as the test drug in direct compression tableting. Results indicate that the disintegrant action of the hydrogel is comparable with that of the other disintegrants used, with no adverse effect on the dissolution of theophylline from these tablets as observed by thermal analysis study. The hydrogel's physicomechanical performance in direct compression processing appears to have no undesirable effect on the physical properties of tablets. Scanning electron micrographs of freeze-etched samples of hydrogel demonstrated its internal structure. These results strongly suggest that hydrogels have great potential as efficient disintegrants in solid dosage formulations.