Novel method for the preparation of controlled-release theophylline granules coated with a polyelectrolyte complex of sodium polyphosphate-chitosan.

A novel method for the preparation of theophylline granules coated with a polyelectrolyte complex of sodium tripolyphosphate and chitosan was developed. The theophylline granules containing sodium tripolyphosphate were stirred in an HCl solution of chitosan. During the mixing, the dissolved sodium tripolyphosphate in the granule moved to the surface and reacted with the chitosan, resulting in the formation of the polyelectrolyte complex film. The factors affecting the drug content, the particle size, and the coating-film thickness of the resultant coated granules were determined. The theophylline content in the coated granule decreased with increasing content ratio of sodium tripolyphosphate to theophylline in the original granule and with increasing chitosan concentration in the coating solution. The coated granule size increased with increasing chitosan concentration in the coating solution and with decreasing agitation speed. The coating-film thickness increased with an increase in the chitosan concentration, the pH of the coating solution, and the sodium tripolyphosphate to theophylline content ratio in the original granule. The drug-release pattern of the coated granules followed zero-order kinetics and the release rates were significantly reduced compared with that of the original granule.