Hypromellose is the most commonly used functional polymer to achieve a prolonged release of active ingredient (API) from these systems. In contact with the medium, hypromellose quickly hydrates and forms a gel layer on the surface of the system that determines the release rate of API through the mechanism of diffusion and erosion.
This thesis examines the influence of functionality-related characteristics of hypromellose (viscosity, degree of hydroxypropyl substitution, and particle size), the apparent viscosity of 4000 mPas and the 2208 substitution type on the release of the soluble model API. Apart from testing the drug release (USP II, 150 rpm, sinkers, pH 6,8) and modelling the obtained results, the characteristics of the formed gel layer were studied to better understand the mechanism and consequently the kinetics of API release. The use of texture analyser was evaluated to determine the thickness and mechanic resistance of the gel layer.
It has been established that there was a difference in the profiles of API release from the directly compressed hydrophilic matrix tablets based on the hypromellose with larger particles and with a lower proportion of hydropropoxy functional groups. Therefore, the formulation was non-robust and sensitive to differences in the functionality-related characteristics of hypromellose. The release of API followed the anomalous (or non-Fickian) transport. Viscosity was the only functionality-related characteristic of hypromellose which affected the mechanism – the contribution of the API diffusion and the matrix erosion to the release of API. Regarding the thickness of the gel layer, there were two formulations that stood out in a positive direction: with larger particles and with a lower degree of hydropropoxy groups. These two established a less coherent gel layer with insufficient speed, which caused a faster water penetration into the matrix and a higher proportion of dissolved components. The gel layer thickness was a function of hydration or swelling time of the system; in time the medium penetration slowed down. The formulation with larger particles was less resistant to the probe penetration than the formulation with hypromellose with a higher degree of hydropropoxy substitution. This was in correlation with a thicker gel layer. A gel layer of the formulation with a lower degree of hydropropoxy substitution had lower gel layer rigidity than the formulation with a higher degree of hydropropoxy substitution and was consequently more susceptible to erosion in the testing conditions. The correlation between the gel layer rigidity and the hydration or swelling time was negative. The additionally tested samples have indicated that the choice of technology had a significant influence on the gel layer properties, which were also time-dependent.
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