Evaluation of the Effects of Khaya Gum on the Mechanical and Release Properties of Paracetamol Tablets

Abstract

A study of the comparative effects of khaya gum and two standard binding agents––polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and gelatin––on crushing strength and friability, and the disintegration and dissolution characteristics of paracetamol tablets was made. The crushing strength-friability ratio (CSFR), the disintegration times, D, and the dissolution times t₅₀, t₉₀, and t₁ (derived from the equation of Noyes and Whitney), all increased with an increase in binder concentration; however, the dissolution rate constants, k₁ and k₂, decreased. The ranking for the values of CSFR for tablets containing the different binders was PVP>gelatin>khaya gum. The ranking for D and the dissolution times was gelatin>khaya gum>PVP, whereas the ranking for the dissolution rate constants was PVP>khaya gum>gelatin. There were significant linear correlations between CSFR, D, t₅₀, t₉₀, and t₁ for the tablets. There were also significant correlations between k₁ and D, t₅₀, t₉₀, and t₁, and between k₂ and t₉₀. The results suggest that khaya gum could be useful as an alternative binding agent to produce tablets with particular mechanical strength and drug release profiles.