EVALUATION OF THE SUSPENDING PROPERTIES OF MUCUNA FLAGELLIPES GUM IN PARACETAMOL SUSPENSION FORMULATION

Paracetamol suspension is a liquid dosage form of paracetamol , commonly used to reduce fever and relieve mild to moderate pain. It is often prescribed to children or individuals who have difficulty swallowing tablets. This work emphasizes on the evaluation of the suspending properties of gum from Mucuna flagellipes seeds as a potential suspending agent in paracetamol suspension formulation. Dried matured seeds of Mucuna flagellipes were dehusked, milled , soaked in water for 24 h and filtered using a muslin cloth. Acetone was used to precipitate the gum from the filtrate , which was dried, pulverized, sieved(250µm) and characterized by determining it’s bulk density, tapped density, flow rate , angle of repose , Carr’s index and Hausner’s ratio. Acacia and sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose were used as comparing standards. The paracetamol suspensions were evaluated for it’s pH, viscosity, re-dispersibility behavior , sedimentation volume and flow rate. The results obtained showed that the pH of all batches of suspension formulated decreased significantly on the 14th day of storage. An increase in the concentration of the suspending agents(1%