The Effect of HLB on the Release Profile of Atenolol from Ethyl Cellulose-coated Tablets

It is possible to alter the permeability of ethyl cellulose membrane with certain materials such as surfactants. In this study the effect of surfactant concentration and different HLB values on the release rate of atenolol from ethyl cellulose-coated tablets was evaluated. The results showed that when the concentration of surfactant increased, the rate of drug release also increased. The kinetics of atenolol release from these tablets also depended on surfactant concentration and their total HLB value. The data showed that there was an optimum HLB for an optimum rate of drug release. When the HLB value was increased to 9, the release rate increased and the kinetics of drug release approached a zero order model. But, further increase in HLB value up to 15 did not have any additional significant effect on the release rate of atenolol from these film-coated tablets.