Abstract

Glipizide microcapsules wlth a coat consisting of alginate and a mucoadhesive polymer such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylceilulose, carbopol and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose were prepared by an orifice-ionic gelation process and were investigated with a view to develop mucoadhesive microcapsules. The resulting microcapsules were discrete, large, spherical and free flowing. Microencapsulation efficiency was 60-84%. The microcapsules exhibited good mucoadhesive property in the in vitro wash-off test. Glipizide release from these mucoadhesive microcapsules was slow and extended over longer periods of time and depended on the composition of coat of the microcapsules. Drug release was diffuslon controlled and followed zero order kinetics after a lag period of 1 h. In the in vivo evaluation, alglnate-carbopol microcapsules could sustain the hypoglycemic effect of glipizide over a period of 14 h. These mucoadhesive microcapsules are, thus, suitable for oral controlled release of glipizlde.