Formulation and Evaluation of Propranolol Hydrochloride Loaded Hydrogel

Abstract

Propranolol hydrochloride is sympatholytic nonselective beta blocker. It is used to treat hypertension, anxiety and panic. Propranolol loaded hydrogel beads were prepared using chitosan, sodium bicarbonate and glyoxal by ionotropic gelation method. The preformulation study performed on combination of drug with polymer by FT-IR suggested that they were compatible with each other. The formulation ofhydrogel beads were done by applying 32 full factorial design. The surface morphology studied by scanning electron microscope revealed irregular shape hydrogel beads. All prepared hydrogel beads were evaluated for particle size, drug entrapment efficiency, in-vitro releases study and swelling ratio. Optimized formulation showed good swelling in 0.1 N HCl up to 24 h maintaining the integrity of formulation. The in-vitro release of propranolol hydrochloride from optimized hydrogel beads was more than 80% in controlled manner. Hence it could be concluded that propranolol hydrochloride loaded hydrogel beads prepared by using combination of chitosan with glyoxal (crosslinking agent) sustained the release of propranolol HCl more than 24 h in a predetermined manner for the effective management of hypertension.