The main objective of this study was to fabricate biopolymer-based microbeads, providing enteric properties and controlled release of diclofenac sodium, using layer-by-layer technique. The calcium pectinate microbeads have been designed and coated with chitosan and pectin multilayers. Drug release was performed in simulate gastric fluid (pH 1.2) for 2 hours, followed by pH 6.8 buffer for 8 hours. The effects of chitosan concentration, number of layer and drying technique on drug release were investigated. The results showed that the calcium pectinate microbeads could be simply prepared by ionotropic gelation and then coated with chitosan and pectin solutions using layer-by-layer procedure. The diameter of the microbeads ranged from 800 to 1000 μm for air-dried samples and from 1 to 2 mm for freeze-dried samples. The freeze-dried microbeads had a rough surface and many pores inside, as observed by SEM. The microbeads coated with 4% chitosan/4% pectin revealed a slower drug release than those coated with 1% chitosan/4% pectin and demonstrated a controlled release pattern. Moreover, different drying techniques and numbers of layer also influenced drug release behavior of the prepared microbeads.
