Reza Enayatifard - Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Aiding Mahjoob - Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Pouneh Ebrahimi - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran
Pedram Ebrahimnejad - Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Objective(s): A Box-Behnken design was used for evaluation of Eudragit coated diclofenac pellets. The purpose of this work was to optimize diclofenac pellets to improve the physicochemical properties using experimental design. Materials and Methods: Diclofenac was loaded onto the non-pareil beads using conventional coating pan. Film coating of pellets was done at the same pan. The effect of plasticizer level, curing temperature and curing time was determined on the release of diclofenac from pellets coated with polymethacrylates. Results: Increasing the plasticizer in the coating formula led to decrease in drug release and increasing the curing temperature and time resulted in higher drug release. The optimization process generated an optimum of ۳۵% drug release at ۳ hr. The level of plasticizer concentration, curing temperature and time were ۲۰% w/w, ۵۵ °C and ۲۴ hr, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that by controllinig the physical variables optimum drug release were obtained.

Diclofenac sodium, Eudragit, optimization, Pellet, Plasticizer