Nano-crystalline cellulose: Preparation, modification and usage as sustained release drug delivery excipient for some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Nano crystalline cellulose (NCC) has gained attention in the pharmaceutical industry owing to its biodegradable nature and high mechanical properties. In the present work we reported preparation of NCC from cellulose isolated from a bio-waste, its modification and exploration as drug delivery excipient for sustained release of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Cellulose extracted from Citrus limetta albedo was subjected to alkali treatment, bleaching and hydrolysis by sulfuric acid to obtain NCC of particle size ranging from 1-10nm. Further, modification with a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) resulted in NCC-CTAB with enhanced surface area and high aspect ratio which was investigated as sustained release drug delivery system (DDS) for NSAID. Drug loading capacity correlated well with log P value of NSAID. NSAID-loaded NCC-CTAB acted as sustained release DDS over a period of 3hr. The results were confirmed as serum protein protecting and anti-cathepsins activities. CTAB-NSAID interactions have been assessed using CHEM3D.