Fabrication of Cellulose Derivatives-Based Highly Porous Floating Tablets for Gastroretentive Drug Delivery via Sugar Templating Method

This work presents an innovative application of the sugar templating method to fabricate highly porous floating tablets based on cellulose derivatives for gastroretentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS). Ethyl cellulose (EC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) were utilized to develop formulations that optimize porosity, buoyancy, and drug release. Among the tested formulations, E₁₀H₅/CPM, consisting of 10% <i>w</i>/<i>w</i> EC and 5% <i>w</i>/<i>w</i> HPMC loaded with chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM), exhibited the most favorable properties, including high porosity (94.4%), uniform pore distribution, immediate buoyancy, and over 24 h of floating time. E₁₀H₅/CPM tablets demonstrated superior drug release performance compared to an EC-only formulation (E₁₀/CPM), attributed to the presence of HPMC, which facilitated improved hydration and diffusion. The <i>in vitro</i> release study showed that E₁₀H₅/CPM achieved a cumulative release of 79.01% over 72 h, following a Fickian diffusion mechanism. However, a limitation was noted in drug loading, with E₁₀H₅/CPM incorporating 6.40 mg of CPM, compared to 8.72 mg in E₁₀/CPM. Future work should focus on enhancing drug load and further optimizing polymer composition to improve the release profile. Overall, this study underscores the potential of sugar templating in developing cost-effective, scalable floating tablet formulations for improved gastric retention and localized drug delivery.