Background: Mucilage and pectin are both natural polymers with the advantages of availability and biodegradability. Microspheres made from biodegradable polymers can break down naturally after performing their tasks.
Objectives: The study aimed to use mucilage and pectin from the leaves of Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) Willd. as polymer matrices for the formulation of microspheres, with ibuprofen as the model drug.
Material and methods: Both polymers were examined under a microscope and evaluated using measurements of viscosity, density, flow properties, swelling power, elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the degree of esterification (DE) for pectin. The microspheres were prepared using the ionotropic gelation method and alginate:mucilage/pectin at ratios of 1:1 and 1:2. They were assessed for swellability, drug entrapment effectiveness and drug release profile.
Results: The mucilage particles were ovoid while pectin particles were irregularly shaped. Pectin had higher particle, bulk and tapped densities than mucilage, while mucilage had a higher swelling power and a better flow than pectin. Talinum triangulare pectin is a low-methoxyl pectin with a DE of 7.14%. The FTIR spectra showed no interaction between the polymers and ibuprofen. The surface morphology of the microspheres without ibuprofen was smooth, while those with ibuprofen revealed a spongy-like mesh. The swelling power of the microspheres was higher in phosphate buffer with a pH of 7.2 than in distilled water. The entrapment efficiency ranged within 39.57-60.43% w/w, with microspheres containing alginate:mucilage/pectin ratio of 1:1 having higher entrapment efficiency. Microspheres with polymer at a ratio of 1:1 provided a longer release (>2 h), while microspheres with polymer blend of 1:2 provided an immediate release of ibuprofen.
Conclusions: The polymers of T. triangulare could be used as matrices in microsphere formulations.
Keywords: Talinum triangulare; ibuprofen; microspheres; pectins; polymers.