Application of Acetylated Corn Starch as a Sustained Release Formulation in Metronidazole Tablets

Student: Chinelo Emmanuella Nnanyereugo (Project, 2025)
Department of Pharmacy
University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State

Abstract

Acetylated starch has been found suitable for sustained release applications because of their hydrophobic nature and thermoplasticity. The short half-life and high dosing frequency of metronidazole makes it an ideal candidate for sustained release. This study aims to access the impact of acetylation on the disintegrant properties of corn starch and to also evaluate the effectiveness of acetylated corn starch as a sustained release formulation in metronidazole tablets. Corn starch was acetylated by method of Ogungbenle, 2007 using acetic anhydride and granules were formulated with varying concentrations of the disintegrant. The granules were characterized for bulk density, tapped density, Hausner’s ratio, Carr’s index, flow rate and angle of repose. Tablets of weight 300mg were produced and evaluated. All batches passed the friability and hardness tests ensuring their ability to withstand pressure during transportation. The coefficient of variance obtained was also in line with the standard (90%, thus they passed the test. This study shows thatacetylation process successfully increased the disintegration time of tablets and acetylated corn starch is an effective polymer in the formulation of sustained release metronidazole tablets.

Keywords
acetylated starch sustained release formulation metronidazole tablets polymer
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