A systematic evaluation of dual functionality of sodium lauryl sulfate as a tablet lubricant and wetting enhancer

Appropriate lubrication is important in tablet manufacturing as it lowers punch sticking propensity and protects tooling by reducing friction between die wall and tablet during tablet manufacturing. Most commercial lubricants negatively impact tabletability and dissolution. A delicate balance is usually attained by trial and error to identify the optimal level of lubricant in a tablet formulation. In this work, we have evaluated the effectiveness of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a surfactant, as a tableting lubricant. If adequate lubrication efficiency is achieved, the use of SLS may be suitable to mitigate problems associated with hydrophobic lubricants. Results show that SLS, when applied in the proper amount to typical pharmaceutical powder mixtures, achieved lubrication efficiency comparable to a grade of magnesium stearate (MgSt) without deteriorating tabletability. Moreover, SLS-containing tablets of celecoxib also exhibited improved in vitro dissolution compared to MgSt-containing tablets. The enhancement in dissolution properties was attributed to the improved wetting by the dissolution medium due to the presence of SLS.