In the present investigation, sodium alginate based multiparticulate system overcoated with time and pH dependent polymer was studied in the form of oral pulsatile system to achieve pulsatile with sustained release of aceclofenac for chronotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis seven batches of micro beads with varying concentration of sodium alginate (2-5 %) were prepared by ionotropic-gelation method using CaCl2 as cross-linking agent. The prepared Ca-alginate beads were coated with 5% Eudragit L100 and filled into pulsatile capsule with varying proportion of plugging materials. Drug loaded microbeads were investigated for physicochemical properties and drug release characteristics. The mean particle sizes of drug-loaded microbeads were found to be in the range 596±1.1 to 860 ± 1.2 micron and %DEE in the range of 65-85%. FT-IR and DSC studies revealed the absence of drug polymer interactions. The release of aceclofenac from formulations F1 to F7 in buffer media (pH 6.8) at the end of 5h was 65.6, 60.7, 55.7, 41.2, 39.2, 27 and 25% respectively. Pulsatile system filled with eudragit coated Ca-alginate microbeads (F2) showed better drug content, particle size, surface topography, in-vitro drug release in a controlled manner. Different plugging materials like Sterculia gum, HPMC K4M and Carbopol were used in the design of pulsatile capsule. The pulsatile system remained intact in buffer pH 1.2 for 2 hours due to enteric coat of the system with HPMCP. The enteric coat dissolved when the pH of medium was changed to 7.4. The pulsatile system developed with Sterculia gum as plugging material showed satisfactory lag period when compared to HPMC and Carbopol.
