Development and evaluation of gastroretentive ciprofloxacin floating tablets using Chrysophyllum albidum gum

Abstract Background The floating drug delivery system offers immense advantages for the controlled delivery of drugs because it increases gastric residence time and thereby improves drug bioavailability. Aim The aim of this study was to design a gastroretentive drug delivery system for controlled delivery of ciprofloxacin using Chrysophyllum albidum gum ( CAG ) in combination with hydrophilic polymers such as xanthan gum ( XG ) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( HPMC ). Methods Floating tablets prepared by the effervescence method and direct compression were evaluated for hardness, friability, swelling index, floating lag time and total floating time. In vitro drug release data were fitted into different drug release kinetic models, and the mechanism of drug release was determined. Results The tablets exhibited satisfactory physicochemical characteristics, showed good in vitro buoyancy and swelled considerably. Tablets with a higher amount of CAG floated for a longer duration and had more matrix integrity than formulations containing lower amounts of CAG . The optimised formulation exhibited 50% and 90% drug release in 6.5 and 11.5 h, respectively, which suggests a sustained release effect, whereas the buoyancy lag time was 18 s. Analysis of the in vitro release kinetics suggests that the drug was released from the optimised formulation by diffusion, and the drug release mechanism was observed to be Fickian diffusion. Conclusion This study highlights the potential of a ciprofloxacin floating system prepared from xanthan gum, HPMC and CAG as a suitable alternative to the conventional dosage and other sustained‐release formulations.