This study aims to investigate the physicochemical and extended-release properties of amorphous debranched starch (ADBS) that is a linear short chain amylose derived from pullulanase enzymatic modification. The results show the completely amorphous ADBS was soluble in cold water, which developed into a disordered gel network at 25 °C. ADBS based tablets were able to extend drug release in different media. Drug release, which was accelerated by decreased pH and pancreatin, was barely affected by ionic strength. The kinetics of the drug release process that was dominated by Fickian diffusion was best fitted and interpreted by the Higuchi equation. The results indicate ADBS is an ideal hydrophilic excipient which extends the in vitro release of water-soluble drugs for 24 h.
Keywords: Amorphous debranched starch; Excipient; Extended release; Pullulanase; Tablet.
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