title: Design and development of controlled release floating matrix tablet of Nicorandil using hydrophilic cellulose and pH-independent acrylic polymer: in-vitro and in-vivo evaluations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to develop a floating matrix tablet of Nicorandil using blends of hydrophilic cellulose and pH-independent acrylic polymer to improve the therapeutic effectiveness of the drug in cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nicorandil tablets were prepared by direct compression and evaluated for drug-excipients compatibility, in-vitro buoyancy and in-vivo γ-scintigraphy study. The selected formulation (FT5) was also evaluated for stability study and the in-vivo absorption in rabbits to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters with the commercially available immediate release tablet of Nicorandil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DSC and FT-IR studies confirmed the absence of incompatibility and were found stable at refrigerator temperature (2-8°C) and at 25ºC/60% RH. The in-vivo γ-scintigraphy studies revealed that the system was floated for a period of 6 -7 h in the stomach and in-vivo absorption study showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the pharmacokinetic parameters (AUC increased by 3 fold and MRT by 2.5 fold) as compared to the marketed formulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the developed Nicorandil floating matrix tablet improved the pharmacokinetics parameters (AUC and MRT) in rabbit plasma with expected lowering in side effects potential.
authors.affiliation: a Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Science , Guwahati , 781017 , India.
authors.forename: Abdul Baquee
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Dibrugarh University , Dibrugarh , 786004 , Assam , India.
authors.forename: Lila Kanta
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Nath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008297:Male; D020108:Nicorandil / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011817:Rabbits; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013607:Tablets / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005079:Excipients; D011108:Polymers; D013607:Tablets; D020108:Nicorandil; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: buoyancy; compatibility; direct compression; in-vivo absorption; in-vivo γ-scintigraphy