Preliminary investigation into the use of Pleurotus tuber  -regium powder as a tablet disintegrant

Purpose: This investigation aims at developing a pharmaceutical excipient from local sources. Pleurotus tuber-regium powder is used locally as a soup thickener because of its ability to swell in water and add bulk to the soup. Since swelling is one of the mechanisms of action of some tablet disintegrants it was thought that the powder of P. tuber regium would be able to act as a tablet disintegrant.
Method: The powder obtained from the mycelia of the edible giant mushroom, Pleurotus tuberregium was characterised. Its disintegrant ability in comparison with maize starch BP was investigated in paracetamol tablets prepared via the wet granulation method.
Results: P. tuber-regium and maize starch BP have similar true, bulk and tapped density values. The Pleurotus powder, however, showed superior flow, swelling capacity as well as waterretention capacity to maize starch BP. The swelling capacity was three times that of maize starch BP. Tablets prepared with P. tuber-regium powder disintegrated faster than those prepared with maize starch BP at concentrations below 10% w/w. At the disintegrant concentration of 10% w/w paracetamol tablets made from both Pleurotus powder and maize starch BP had similar disintegration times and dissolution profiles. It is believed that the ability ofPleurotus powder to swell by over three times its volume in the presence of water may explain its ability to function as a tablet disintegrant.
Conclusion: Pleurotus tuber-regium powder may therefore be used as an alternative to maize starch BP as a tablet disintegrant.