Drug release behavior of beads and microgranules of chitosan

Beads and microgranules carriers have important potential applications for the administration of therapeutic molecules. A novel approach for the preparation of chitosan beads and microgranules is presented. The present work is an investigation of the in vitro release kinetics of diclofenac sodium (DFS) from chitosan beads and microgranules. The in vitro release profiles of DFS from chitosan beads and microgranules are monitored using Shimadzu 1601 UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Drug release behavior of beads and microgranules has been compared. The release rate of DFS from the beads has been found to be slower in comparison to the microgranules. It may also be noted that the percent and amount of the drug release were much higher in acidic solution than in basic solution, probably due to the swelling properties of the matrix at acidic pH. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.