Formulation of an anti-inflammatory drug as fast dissolving tablets

IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences (IOSR-JPBS)
e-ISSN: 2278-3008, p-ISSN:2319-7676. Volume 7, Issue 2 (Jul. – Aug. 2013), PP 79-85
www.iosrjournals.org
www.iosrjournals.org 79 | Page
Formulation of an anti-inflammatory drug as fast dissolving
tablets
Magdy Ibrahim Mohamed1
, Boushra Mohammed El-Houssieny2
, Maram
Mourad Mansour2
M. I. Mohamed1
, B. M. El-Houssieny 2
and M. M. Mansour 2
1
Professor of pharmaceutics and industrial pharmacy – Pharmaceutics department, Collage of Pharmacy,
Cairo University.
2
Professor of pharmaceutics –ex-head of pharmaceutics department, National Organization for Drug Control
and Research.
2
Assistant lecturer of pharmaceutics-Pharmaceutics department, National Organization for Drug Control and
Research.
Abstract: The demand for mouth dissolving tablets has been growing during the last decade especially for
elderly and children who have difficulties in swallowing. Ketorolac tromethamine is an effective anti-
inflammatory agent that has been extensively used for the prevention of pain and inflammation associated with
a wide variety of reasons. This study was aimed to form Ketorolac tromethamine mouth dissolving tablets by
direct compression using superdisintegratants as crospovidone (CP) ,crosscarmellose sodium (CCS), and
sodium starch glycolate (SSG) at concentrations of 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%. The physical mixtures of the drug
and the used excipients were evaluated for their micromeretric properties such as angle of repose, particle size,
Hausner's ratio and % compressibility. Also, FTIR spectroscopy and DSC calorimetry were performed to
indicate any possible interaction between the drug with the used excipients.All the prepared tablets were
evaluated for their weight variation, thickness, hardness, wetting time, and disintegration time. Also in-vitro
release study was done for all the prepared tablets using distilled deionized water as dissolution medium at
37.5± 0.5 c˚. Based on in-vitro release study and stability studies, G5 (contained 3% CCS) was found to be the
promising formulae and subjected to further studies.
Key words: Fast dissolving tablets, Ketorolac tromethamine, Crospovidone, and Crosscarmellose.
I. Introduction
Many patients express difficulty in swallowing tablets and hard gelatin capsules, resulting in non-
compliance and ineffective therapy (1)
.Thus difficulty is particularly experienced by pediatric and geriatric
patients. Different approaches are used for development of fast dissolving tablets such as using
superdisintegrants namely croscarmellose sodium,crospovidone and sodium starch glycolate. Another approach,
maximaizes the porous structure of tablet by sublimation method .Vacuum drying has been used to form porous
structure of tablets (2-3)
.Ketorolac tromethamine is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to
decrease post operative pain associated with surgical treatment (4)
Ketorolac tromethamine is found to be as
effective as morphine for postoperative pain in children with fewer side effects (5)
.
II. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
Ketorolac tromethamine was obtained from Elamrya Pharmacutical Ind–Egypt.All other chemicals of
analytical grade were purchased from commercial sources.
2.2Preparation of ketorolac tromethamine tablets (6)
.
The medicated tablets were prepared by first gentle triturating using mortar The ingredients were
weighed and mixed in geometrical order and compressed into tablets of weight 100 mg using 6mm round flat
punches on 10 station rotary tablet machine( Single punch tablet press Erweka type-Germany ). A batch of 100
tablets of each formulation was prepared for all the designed formulations. The dose of ketorolac tromethamine
was 10 mg, in each tablet.
2.3. Micromeretic properties of physical mixtures of ketorolac tromethamine with different excipients
used.
2.3.1.Bulk density (Db) (7)
.
It is the ratio between a mass of granules and the bulk volume .It is expressed by gm/ml
Bulk density = weight of granules/ Bulk volume

Formulation of an anti-inflammatory drug as fast dissolving tablets
Db = M/ V0
Where M is the mass of the powder, and V0 is bulk volume
2.3.2. Tapped density (Dt ) (8-9)
.
It is the ratio of total mass of powder to the tapped volume of the powder. It can be calculated from the
following equation and expressed also in g/ml. It is determined by transferring the weighed amount of the blend
5gm to the graduated
cylinder (10 ml) with the aid of a funnel. The blend is tapped for a fixed time, the tapped volume (Vt) is
recorded
.
Dt= M/Vt
Where M is the mass of the powder and Vt is the tapped volume of the powder.
2.3.3. Angle of repose (θ) (10)
The friction forces in a loose powder can be measured by the angle of repose. It is defined as maximum
angle possible between the surface of the pile of powder and horizontal plane. The powder is allowed to flow
freely through a cut stem funnel which height was adjusted in such a way that the tip of the funnel just touched
the apex of the heap of the powder. The diameter of the powder cone is measured and its angle of repose can be
calculated using following equation :
tan (θ) = h / r
(θ) = tan-1
(h / r)
Where (ɵ) is the angle of repose, h is the height in cms and r is the radius in cms
2.3.4.. Compressibility Index (Carr's Index) and Hausner's ratio (11)
:
The compressibility index (Carr's Index) and Hausner's ratio of all the prepared powder blends were
determined from their bulk density and tapped density values as follows:
Compressibility index (%) = [ (Tapped density-Bulk density) ×100]
Tapped density
Hausner's ratio = Tapped density/ Bulk density
2.3.5 Particle size determination
The particle size study was performed to ensure homogeneity and uniformity of each drug-excipient
blend. The particle size of all the prepared powder blends was recorded using Horiba Laser scattering particle
size distribution analyzer- model LA-920. Japan.
2.4. Evaluation of ketorolac tromethamine fast dissolving tablets
2.4.1.Weight variation
The individual weights of twenty tablets selected randomly from each formulation were reported and
the average weight and standard deviations were calculated (12)
.
2.4.2Tablet hardness
Six accidentally selected tablets from each formulation were tested for tablet hardness measurement
using Erweka hardness tester –Heusenstamm- Gernany. The results were calculated as the mean hardness in
(Kp) (13-14)
.
2.4.3. Content uniformity (15)
.
Ten tablets were randomly selected from each formulation and pulverized to a fine powder. A quantity
of powder equivalent to a single dose was weighed and assayed for the drug content using a UV visible
spectrophotometer (Shimadzu model UV-2450-Japan) at wavelength 322 nm .
2.4.4. Tablet friability
Pre-weighed sample of tablets (six tablets from each batch) was placed in the drum of the friabilator
(Erweka type, GmbH-Germany), and rotated for 100 revolutions (25 rpm for 4 min).Tablets were dusted and
reweighed. The percent loss in the weight was calculated and, taken as a measure of friability (16-17)
. The
friability % was calculated from the following equation (18-19)
:
% Friability= [(Initial weight of tablets- final weight of tablets) ×100]
initial weight of tablets

2.4.5. In vitro disintegration time (21)
It was determined using disintegration test apparatus ( Pharmatest type,PTZ3-West Germany). A tablet
was placed in each of six tubes of the apparatus and one disc was added to each tube .The time in seconds taken
for complete disintegration of the tablet was recorded.
2.4.6. Wetting time (21)
.
Twice folded tissue papers were placed in a petri dish of 5 cm diameter. Six ml of water were added to
the petri dish. A tablet was carefully placed on the surface of the tissue paper.The time required for water to
reach the upper surface of the tablet and to completely wet it was noted as the wetting time.
2.4.7. In-vitro release of the prepared fast dissolving ketorolac tromethamine tablets
The release study of ketorolac tromethamine from the prepared tablets was carried out using USP
standard dissolution apparatus II ( Hanson Research, SR8 plus- USA) containing 500 ml of distilled deionized
water as a dissolution medium ( Paddle method). Sample (5 ml) were collected at predetermined time intervals
(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 min) and replaced with equal volume of fresh medium, filtered through 0.45 μ m membrane
filter disc , and analyzed with a UV visible spectrophotometer (Shimadzu model UV-2450) at λ max 322 .
2.5. Investigation of physicochemical compatibility of the used excipients with the drug
2.5.1. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
The thermal behavior of the selected formulae G2, G5, G9 and pure ketorolac tromethaine drug was
investigated using differential scanning calorimeter (Shimadzu-DSC-50. Japan). The instrument was first
calibrated with purified indium (99.99%).Samples of (2-4 mg) of each formula as well as the pure drug were
heated under nitrogen atmosphere as a carrier gas on an aluminium pan at a flow rate of 25 ml/min and a
heating rate of 10˚C/ min over a temperature range of 20-400˚C.
2.5.2. Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR)
Infrared spectra of all the prepared formulae and pure ketorolac tromethamine were recorded using
Fourier transform IR spectrophotometer ( Shimadzu, IR-435, U-04- Japan).
3. Stability study
Fast dissolving tablets of formulae G2, G5, and G9 were stored in well-closed amber glass vials at
ambient conditions (on the shelf) for 12 months and under accelerated conditions of a temperature of 40 ˚C and
75% relative humidity for three months (22-23)
. The tablets were visually inspected for any physical changes and
their friability, disintegration time and dissolution behaviors were compared before and after storage.
III. Results and discussions
Micromeretic properties of physical mixtures of ketorolac tromethamine with different excipients .
In the present study, twelve ketorolac tomethamine fast dissolving tablets were prepared by direct
compression method as shown in table (1). Croscarmellose sodiume, crospovidone and sodium starch glycolate
were used as superdisintegrants in four different concentrations (3%, 6%,9% and 12%). Avicel® PH102 was
used as a binder due to its excellent compatibility at low pressures and high dilution potential, being also
chemically inert and compatible with most drugs (24-25)
. Micromeretic properties of the prepared physical
mixtures of ketorolac tromethamine showed good compressibility and flowability behavior as indicated from
their compressibility index, angle of repose and Hausner's ratio. These results were in agreement with standard
requirements of USP as shown in table (2). Also, uniformity of particle size of the drug-excipient blends
signified good homogeneity and uniformity during mixing and granulation processes as shown in figure (1).
All the prepared tablets had acceptable hardness in the range from (3.133 ± 0.404 Kp) to (5.967 ± 0.764
Kp) as graphically represented in figure (2). All the prepared tablets are with acceptable friability less than 1%
as shown in figure (3). Tablets prepared with the superdisintegrant croscarmellose sodium had the shortest
disintegration and wetting times followed by those prepared with crospovidone and finally those prepared with
sodium starch glycolate which had the longest disintegration and wetting times as illustrated graphically in
figures (4&5).
The release of the drug from the prepared fast dissolving tablets was better than that from the
conventional commercial tablets Fam® as shown in figures (6-8). All the prepared tablets with different
superdisintegrantes showed 75% release of the drug within the first 5 minutes while only 27.474 % of the drug
was released from commercial tablets. Formulae G2, and G5 released 100 % of the drug within 4 and 3 minutes
respectively. Increasing the concentration of crospovidone as a superdisintegrant had no significant effect on the
dissolution profile of the tablets On the other hand, the change in concentration of both the superdisintegrants
sodium starch glycolate and croscarmellose sodium had significant effect on the dissolution profile of their

tablets. The selected excipients used, mannitol and Avicel PH 102, had a great effect on enhancing dissolution
of the drug from the prepared tablets.
The physical mixtures of ketorolac tromethamine with the different used excipients of the selected
tablet formulae (G2, G5 and G9) showed no physical or chemical interactions as detected from their DSC
thermograms, and FTIR spectra, shown in figures (9& 10 ) .
The stability studies showed a significant change in the dissolution profile of the drug from the tablets
of formulae G2, and G9 when stored under both ambient and accelerated conditions as shown in figures (11 &
12). Therefore, Tablets of formula G5 (containing 3% corscarmellose sodium as superdisintegrant, 30% Avicel
PH102, 5% aspartame , 1% talc , 1% magnesium stearate, and mannitol Q.S.) could be considered as the best
selected formulation to prepare KT fast dissolving tablets , since they showed no significant change in the
dissolution profile and its physicochemical characters upon storage under both ambient and accelerated
conditions.
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Table (1): (%) Composition of ketorolac tromethamine fast dissolving tablets prepared by direct
compression method.
Table (2): Micromeretics properties of the prepared physical mixtures of ketorolac tromethamine with
different used excipients
Table (3): Pharmaceutical quality control characteristics of ketorolac tromethamine fast dissolving
tablets prepared by direct compression
Formula codeComponents
G1
2
G1
1
G10G9G8G7G6G5G4G3G2G1
101010101010101010101010Ketorolac
tromethamine (KT)
--------12963Crospovidone ( CP )
----12963----Croscarmellose sodium
(CCS)
12963--------Sodium starch
glycolate (SSG)
303030303030303030303030Avicel® PH ( 102 )
414447504144475041444750Mannitol
555555555555Aspartame
111111111111Magnesium stearate
111111111111Talc
100100100100100100100100100100100100Total ( mg)

0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Particle size
( μm)
G1 G3 G5 G7 G9 G11
Formula code
Fig (1): Particle size of the prepared mixtures Fig (5): Disintegration time ketorolac tromethaine
fast dissolving tablets prepared by direct compressionof ketorolac tromethamine with different used
excipients
0
1
2
3
4
5
Hardness
( kp )
G1 G3 G5 G7 G9 G11
Formula code
Fig (2): Hardness values of ketorolac tromethamine Fig (6): Dissolution profile of commercial
fast dissolving tablets prepared by direct tablet Fam ® and ketorolac and ketorolac
compression tromethamine fast dissolving tablets prepared
with different concentrations of crospovidone
Fig (3): (%) Friability of ketorolac tromethamine Fig (7): Dissolution profile of ketorolac
fast dissolving tablets prepared by direct tromethamine fast dissolving tablets prepared
compression with different concentrations of crosscaramellose
Fig (4): Wetting time of ketorolac tromethamine Fig (8): Dissolution profile of ketorlac
fast dissolving tablets prepared by direct tromethamine fast tablets prepared with different
compression concentrations of sodium starch glycolate
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Disintegration
time (sec)
G1 G3 G5 G7 G9 G11
Formula code
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time (min)
%Drugreleased
G1 (3% Cp)
G2 (6% CP)
G3 (9% Cp)
G4 (12% CP)
Fam®
0
50
100
150
0 5 10 15
Time (min)
%Drugreleased
G5 (3% CCS)
G6 (6% CCS)
G7 (9% CCS)
G8 (12% CCS)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 5 10 15
Time (min)
%Drugreleased
G9 (3% SSG)
G10 (6% SSG)
G11 (9% SSG)
G12 (12% SSG)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Wetting
time ( sec )
G1 G3 G5 G7 G9 G11
Formula code
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Friability (%)
G1 G3 G5 G7 G9 G11
Formula code

Fig (9): DSC thermograms of pure ketorolac Fig (12): Dissolution profile of fresh and stored
tromethamine (A) and selected fast dissolving selected ketrolac tromethamine fast dissolving
tablet formulae (G2, G5, and G9) (B-D), tablets of formulae (G2, G5 and G9) after
Respectively storage under accelerated conditions
G2, G5 and G9 : Fresh tablets
G2*,G5* and G*9 : Stored tablets
A
Fig (10) : IR spectra of pure ketorolac tromethamine
and selected fast dissolving tablet formulae
(G2,G5 and G9) respectively
Fig (11): Dissolution profile of fresh and stored
selected ketorolac tromethamine fast dissolving tablet
of formulae (G2, G5, and G9) after storage at ambient conditions
G2, G5, and G9 : Fresh formulae
G2*, G5*, and G9* : Stored formulae after 12 months
A
B
D
C
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time (min)
(%)Drugreleased
G2
G2*
G5
G5*
G9
G9*
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time (min)
%Drugreleased
G2
G2*
G5
G5*
G9
G9*

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