title: Gamma scintigraphic studies on guar gum matrix tablets for colonic drug delivery in healthy human volunteers.
abstract: A novel colon-specific drug delivery system based on a polysaccharide, guar gum, was evaluated by conducting gamma scintigraphic studies using technetium-99m-DTPA as tracer, in six healthy male human volunteers. Scintigraphs taken at regular intervals have shown that some amount of tracer present on the surface of the tablets was released in stomach and small intestine and the bulk of the tracer present in the tablet mass was delivered to the colon. The colonic arrival time of the tablets was found to be 2 to 4 h. On entering the colon, the tablets were found to be degraded in five out of six volunteers thereby releasing a larger amount of the tracer. The study clearly demonstrates that guar gum, in the form of directly compressed matrix tablets, is a potential carrier for colon-specific drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Engineering, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, A.P., India.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Krishnaiah
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Satyanarayana
authors.forename: Y V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Rama Prasad
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narasimha Rao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005685:Galactans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008351:Mannans; D053149:Plant Gums; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012016:Reference Values; D013607:Tablets; D016284:Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D005685:Galactans; D008351:Mannans; D053149:Plant Gums; D013607:Tablets; C007894:guar gum; D016284:Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate