Influence of in vitro test conditions on release of aspirin from commercial tablets.

The influence of in vitro test conditions on the release of aspirin from commercial tablets was assessed with a USP rotating-basket dissolution apparatus. Three types of aspirin tablets were evaluated: plain, buffered, and microencapsulated. The variables investigated were stirring speed, pH, and volume and temperature of the dissolution medium. Plain tablets gave the best dissolution profiles under all experimental conditions, except at pH 3. Microencapsulated tablets showed sustained release. For all three types of tablets, faster dissolution was observed at pH 4.5 compared with that in artificial gastric juices. Increasing the stirring rate increased the dissolution rate, an effect most pronounced for plain tablets. Very similar dissolution curves were obtained when the dissolution test was conducted in 500 and 900 mL of dissolution media regardless of the pH of the media. No significant difference in dissolution profiles was observed when the effect of temperature was investigated. The dissolution data were evaluated on the basis of theoretical dissolution equations and by linear transformation of dissolution curves. Highly significant linear correlation coefficients revealed that the cube root equation could be used to describe drug release in artificial gastric juices, regardless of tablet type. When pH 4.5 buffer solution was used as the dissolution medium, different kinetic models were applicable.