Investigation of release pattern of a drug with low solubility through asymmetric membrane capsules

Asymmetric membrane capsules are a type of osmotic drug delivery systems. They are nondisintegrating capsules, which utilize osmotic pressure to drive the drug outwards for controlled delivery. Preceded by systems such as elementary osmotic pump, controlled porosity osmotic pump, single composition osmotic tablet this system has the advantage of simple and easy fabrication as it obviates the necessity of drilling an orifice into the drug delivery system. Moreover; it seems to be a low-cost alternative. The cellulose acetate capsule shell, on coming in contact with the aqueous medium shows in situ pore formation due to leaching of pore formers, which have been incorporated into the shell forming solution. Until date, a number of osmotic agents to the likes of sodium chloride, mannitol has been used to build up osmotic pressure inside the cell. The system is endowed with high water flux, which is a plus point for delivery of poorly soluble drugs like cephalexin in terms of increasing release rates. Studies envisaged in this research include the effect of different concentrations of different pore formers on in vitro drug release as well as the effect of modification of inner contents of the capsule. The system was successful in producing a gradual release of drug for 12 h.