GASTROINTESTINAL TRANSIT OF TC(99M)-LABELED ORAL DOSAGE FORMS OF SUCRALFATE IN HEALTHY-VOLUNTEERS

In this study the deposition and gastrointestinal transit of a convent ional uncoated tablet, a chewable tablet, as well as an effervescent p reparation containing 1 g of Tc-99m-labelled sucralfate were evaluated over 180 min using a gamma camera. Each preparation was administered by five healthy volunteers after 10 h fasting. The conventional tablet and the effervescent preparation seemed to distribute immediately in the whole stomach area. With the chewable tablet, the initial depositi on of sucralfate in the mouth and oesophagus was also detected. The tr ansit of sucralfate into the intestinal area was noted for the convent ional tablet and for the effervescent preparation as early as after 10 min, whereas the increase in sucralfate concentration in the intestin al area after administration of chewable tablets was observed after 30 min. After 60 min the amount of sucralfate remaining in the stomach w as about 40% for the conventional tablet, about 20% for the effervesce nt preparation and about 80% for the chewable tablet. Thus, the efferv escent preparation of sucralfate, administered as a suspension, was tr ansported more rapidly into the intestine than the solid oral dosage f orms. After 180 min almost all of the sucralfate liberated from the co nventional and effervescent formulations was transported from the stom ach into the intestine, whereas 21% of that liberated from chewable ta blets was still present in the stomach. The dosage form of sucralfate seemed to have a significant effect on the gastrointestinal distributi on and transit of sucralfate.