Relationship between Lactose and Microcrystalline Cellulose as Diluents on Physical Characteristics of Banana Extract Tablet using Computer Program

Introduction: The utilization of banana in pharmaceutics has gained attention as an alternative excipient for tablet formulation. Banana starch obtained from Musa sapientum has been used as disintegrant in comparison study with other disintegrating agents. However, a few research works have been done to investigate the feasibility of banana extract as binding agent in tablet formulation. To overcome this problem, the development of banana extract tablets was performed using Design-Expert® Software. Methods: The model formulations of banana extract tablets were processed according to the formulation obtained from the experimental design. In this study, lactose (X1) and microcrystalline cellulose (X2) (as formulation variables) were varied and used as diluents of banana extract tablets. The physical characteristics i.e., weight variation (Y1), hardness (Y2), thickness (Y3), friability (Y4) and disintegration time (Y5) of banana extract tablet (as response variables) were evaluated. Results: The response surface predicted by Design-Expert® Software reveals an obvious relationship between the diluents and physical characteristics. The banana extract tablets having the appropriate physical characteristics followed the United States Pharmacopeia (USP35) criteria. Conclusion: The results indicated that the experimental design was benefi cial for the development of pharmaceutical tablets formulation. The fi nding provided an understanding of the relationship between formulation variables and response variables as exhibited in the response surface.