Binder properties of treculia africana gum in immediate release metronidazole tablets

The study is aimed at investigating the binder properties ofTreculia africana seed gum in metronidazole tablets in order to find a suitable locally sourced alternative for use as pharmaceutical binder in tablet dosage forms. The treculia gum was extracted from the seeds of Treculia africana by defatting using chloroform and methanol in the ratio of 2:1 and cold precipitation in acetone using acetone/gum powder mucilage in the ratio of 3:1. Tablets of metronidazole containing 0 1, 2, 3 and 4% w/w concentrations of Treculia africana gum were prepared using wet granulation method. The tablets were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, friability, disintegration time and dissolution time according to the British Pharmacopoeia standards. Results showed that tablet crushing strength values of 2 – 8 kgf, disintegration time of 0.49 -1.31 minutes and friability values of 0.582-5.801%.The dissolution test result showed that all the batches had more than 80%release of their metronidazole content within 45 minutes and more than 95% release within one hour. The tablets produced using treculia gum especially at 3% and 4% w/w gum concentrations conformed with the official quality control standards as stipulated in the British Pharmacopoiea. Therefore, Treculia Africana gum could serve as a local alternative for use as binder in tablet production.