Amylose as a coating for drug delivery to the colon: Preparation and in vitro evaluation using glucose pellets

Abstract The potential of amylose a constituent of starch, as a novel colonic drug delivery system has been investigated. In this study glucose was used as a model drug and incorporated into pellets (diameter 1.40–1.70 mm) that were prepared by extrusion and spheronisation. The behaviour of different glucose containing pellets coated with an amylose-Ethocel® mixture (ratio 1:4 w/ w) has been investigated in vitro. Dissolution release profiles of the formulation demonstrated in vitro gastric and small intestine resistance. High volatile fatty acid and carbon dioxide concentrations during in vitro fermentation studies showed that the formulation was susceptible to bacterial enzymatic attack.