Preparation and evaluation of metoprolol tartrate sustained-release pellets using hot melt extrusion combined with hot melt coating

Abstract

The objective of this study was to prepare and evaluate metoprolol tartrate sustained-release pellets. Cores were prepared by hot melt extrusion and coated pellets were prepared by hot melt coating. Cores were found to exist in a single-phase state and drug in amorphous form. Plasticizers had a significant effect on torque and drug content, while release modifiers and coating level significantly affected the drug-release behavior. The mechanisms of drug release from cores and coated pellets were Fickian diffusion and diffusion–erosion. The coated pellets exhibited sustained-release properties in vitro and in vivo.

Keywords:

• Metoprolol tartrate
• sustained-release pellets
• hot melt extrusion
• hot melt coating
• drug-release mechanism

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported by Public Welfare Technology Application Research Project of Zhejiang Province, China (No. 2015C33142).