Alginate-okra gum blend beads of diclofenac sodium from aqueous template using ZnSO4 as a cross-linker.

Zinc (Zn(2+))-ion induced diclofenac sodium (DS)-loaded alginate-okra (Hibiscus esculentus) gum (OG) blend beads was successfully formulated through Zn(2+)-ion induced ionic-gelation cross-linking method in a complete aqueous environment. Effects of polymer-blend ratio and cross-linker concentration on drug encapsulation efficiency (DEE) and cumulative drug release at 8 h (R8h) were optimized by 3(2)-factorial design. The optimized formulation of Zn(2+)-ion induced DS-loaded alginate-OG beads demonstrated 89.