ABSTRACT:
The incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has risen in recent decades. Prednisolone (PD) is used in moderate to severe conditions. Being a steroid and a very slightly water soluble drug, PD produces toxic side effects. The aim is to optimize and develop a microbially triggered Colon-targeted osmotic pump of PD for treating IBD which also reduces the toxic side effects. Colon-specific biodegradation of Chitosan (CT) is used to deliver PD in the colonic region to reduce its side effects. Matrix tablets of Pectin, Xanthan Gum and Chitosan were prepared using wet granulation method and coated with an inner semi-permeable layer (SP) of ethyl cellulose and CT and an outer enteric layer of Eudragit® L100-55. The tablets were evaluated for their physical properties and their in-vitro release study was performed in simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.2) for 2 hours, simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 6.8) for 4 hours and simulated colonic fluid (SCF, pH 5) for 18 hours. The results showed that the drug release was negligible in the initial lag period (6 hours) followed by controlled release for up to 18 hours. The release was influenced by the type and amount of the polymer and the percentage of CT in SP. Among the different polymers used, CT was found to be more suitable for colon targeting.