Drug adsorption studies on pregelatinized gladiolus starch.

A comparative evaluation of the adsorption properties of pregelatinized gladiolus starch and activated charcoal on such drugs as chloroquine phosphate, aspirin, ampicillin and caffeine has been made. Results indicate that the adsorption capacity increases with increase in concentration of adsorbent used. Pregelatinized gladiolus starch exhibited a higher complexation affinity for chloroquine phosphate than activated charcoal, while the reverse was observed in the case of aspirin. The adsorption of caffeine and ampicillin was insignificant with the adsorbents. The desorption profile was slower for the pregelatinized gladiolus starch than for activated charcoal. This slow release property might be exploited in formulations where sustained-release is the desired goal.