RELIABILITY OF THE RIBOFLAVIN EXCRETION TECHNIQUE IN DETERMINING AVAILABILITY OF COATED TABLETS

Abstract

Further studies were carried out to assess the reliability of the human bio-assay technique using the excretion of riboflavin to estimate the availability of sugar-coated tablets. Using 8 individuals, it was shown that for 1, 3, and 5 mg amounts of riboflavin the excretion is the same whether these amounts are taken as a single dose or in 10 small doses totalling the same amount. For doses of riboflavin of 1, 3, 5, 7.5, and 10 mg a linear relationship was found to exist between the amount ingested and excreted. The equation for this dose response line was found to be y = 0.580x - 0.610. The intercept - 0.610 was significantly different from zero, indicating that the line did not pass through the origin. The results furnish further evidence of the validity of the urinary excretion of riboflavin for determining the physiological availability of coated tablets.