Trigonella foenum-graecum L. seed mucilage-gellan mucoadhesive beads for controlled release of metformin HCl

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seed mucilage (FSM)-gellan gum (GG) mucoadhesive beads containing metformin HCl for oral use were developed through ionotropic-gelation technique. Effects of GG to FSM ratio and cross-linker (CaCl2) concentration on the drug encapsulation efficiency (DEE, %), and cumulative drug release after 10 h (R10h, %) of ionotropically-gelled FSM-GG mucoadhesive beads containing metformin HCl were optimized by 32 factorial design. The optimized mucoadhesive beads showed DEE of 92.53 ± 3.85% and R10h of 55.28 ± 1.58% and mean diameter of 1.62 ± 0.22 mm. The in vitro metformin HCl release from these ionotropically-gelled FSM-GG beads was prolonged over 10 h and followed zero-order model with super case-II transport mechanism. The optimized mucoadhesive beads also exhibited pH-dependent swelling, good mucoadhesivity with biological mucosal membrane and significant hypoglycemic effect in alloxan-induced diabetic rats over prolonged period after oral administration.