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Abstract
Disintegrants expand and dissolve when wet causing the tablet to break apart in the digestive tract, releasing the active ingredients for absorption. They can be added extra-granularly, intra-granularly or both during tablet formation. A standard disintegrant used extensively for tablet formation is maize starch. There is a growing interest in locally sourced tablet excipients, hence the disintegrant property of indigenously sourced Bambara nut (Vigna subterranea) starch and its effect on metronidazole tablets is evaluated in this study The purpose of the study is to compare the effect of the disintegrant properties of various concentrations of Bambara nut starch (Vigna subterranea) and maize starch BP on metronidazole tablets. The starch from Vigna subterranea seeds was extracted and its disintegrant ability was compared to that of maize starch BP at concentrations of 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% in metronidazole-based tablets. All other parameters were kept constant during the formulation process. The organoleptic properties, bulk and tapped density and the chemical properties of the starch of Vigna subterranea was determined. The flow properties of the granules formed with both starches were determined and the metronidazole tablets were evaluated for weight uniformity, dimensions, tablet hardness, friability, disintegration and dissolution rates. The metronidazole granules and tablets formulated with the starch from Vigna subterranea were comparable in granule flow properties, tablet weight, variation, hardness, friability. The study revealed that Vigna subterranea starch used as a disintegrant performed better with a shorter disintegration time than tablets formulated with the different concentrations of maize starch BP. It was discovered that 20% and 25% of the starches were not adequate for tablet formation due to their friability values of above 1%. This study revealed that Vigna subterranea starch can be used as a disintegrant in the production of tablets of adequate pharmaceutical quality. It serves as an adequate disintegrant for metronidazole tabletskey words
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