Venlafaxine controlled drug delivery systems using different matrixes have been tested to\nreduce undesirable side effects in the treatment of depression. The legal status of chitosan (Cs) in\nPharmacy has dramatically improved after its acceptance as excipient in several Pharmacopeias\nand, therefore, there is great interest in pharmaceutical formulations based on this polymer.\nIn this paper, chitosan microcapsules cross-linked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) for oral\ndelivery of venlafaxine were formulated using the spray drying technique. The effect of chitosan\nphysico-chemical properties, TPP concentration and TPP/Cs ratio on drug release was evaluated.\nThe microcapsules were characterized in terms of size, zeta potential and morphology. The physical\nstate of the drug was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the drug release from the\nmicrocapsules was studied in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. The release pattern fitted\nwell to the Peppas-Koersmeyer model with n exponents indicating anomalous transport.
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