Author: Tafara Jambwa, Alvaro Viljoen, Josias Hamman
pharmaceutical industry endeavours to develop novel drug delivery systems which require excipients that full specific functions. Excipients from renewable sources are attractive due to their sustainable mass production. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential use of gel and whole leaf materials from Aloe vera as excipient in the formulation of controlled release matrix-type mini-tablets, Matrix-type mini-tablets manufactured from the aloe materials alone, and in combination with other polymers were evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics, mucoadhesive properties, swelling behavior and drug release kinetics. Some of the formulations exhibited high potential to control drug release from matrix-type tablets and some approached zero-order kinetics, A disadvantage of the conventional immediate-release tablet as dosage form is that drug plasma levels fluctuate over successive doses, ,modification in drug-release rate, such as controlled release, may be beneficial in eliminating the cyclic fluctuations in drug plasma levels , Polymers used in dosage form design can be classified as synthetic polymers, semi-synthetic polymers and polymers of natural origin, Natural polysaccharides are often obtained from plants in the form of mucilages and gums. In many cases, the properties of a natural polymer do not t the needs of a specific application and blending with a synthetic polymer can sometimes be used to achieve the desired properties , Multiple-unit dosage forms over several advantages over conventional single-unit dosage forms. They contain a number of sub-units in which the dose is the sum of the quantity of the drug in each sub-unit. Examples include granules, pellets or mini-tablets that can be formulated into a single, hard gelatin capsule, Formulations containing the different aloe powders individually, and in combination with either Carbopol® or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in different ratios, aloe leaf materials are suitable as excipients in the design and development of matrix-type tablets for modified drug release, the formulation containing Aloe Vera Gel and Carbopol in a 50:50 ratio, indicating aloe vera gel powder has potential as excipients in combination with other polymers to form matrix systems that can control drug release
