Preparation and biopharmaceutical evaluation of microcapsules of amoxicillin

Two methods of microencapsulation of amoxicillin, an orally administered antibiotic, were studied. One is based on dispersion of gelatin-amoxicillin mixture in liquid paraffin followed by drying and hardening with formalin-isopropanol treatment; the other is based on dispersion of ethylcellulose-amoxicillin mixture in purified water containing sodium lauryl benzene sulphonate. The microcapsules were recovered as discrete, free-flowing fine granules with a particle diameter of about 250-1000 microns. Dissolution of amoxicillin from ethylcellulose microcapsules was suppressed considerably with a zero-order dissolution pattern in solutions of various pH. Gastric-emptying-controlled rabbits were used for the in vivo evaluation of gelatin and ethylcellulose microcapsules. The ethylcellulose microcapsule containing 25 per cent amoxicillin showed a significantly sustained release pattern of amoxicillin. To establish a suitable design and for the evaluation of the sustained release microcapsules, a nomogram was made using pharmacokinetic parameters obtained after administration of a conventional formulation. It is advantageous for the preparation of sustained release microcapsules to chose pharmaceuticals having over about 2 as the ratio of the elimination rate constant, k10, to the release/absorption rate constant, kr, in the rabbit.