A Spray-Dried, Co-Processed Rice Starch as a Multifunctional Excipient for Direct Compression

Impact of disintegrants on rheological properties and printability in SSE 3D printing of immediate-release formulations

This study investigates the effects of disintegrants sodium starch glycolate (SSG) and crospovidone (CP) on the printability, rheological properties, and disintegration time of agar and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-based formulations designed for semi-solid extrusion. Printability was assessed by measuring the dimensional accuracy of manually extruded filaments. Rheological analysis was performed using oscillatory measurements. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Spearman correlation analysis identified three key components (phase angle, critical strain, and elastic modulus) that explained the total variance in the rheological dataset. A 2 × 32 factorial design was employed to evaluate the impact of CP, SSG, and HPMC on these rheological parameters, as well as on printability and disintegration time. Results indicated that formulations containing HPMC and SSG generally exhibited better printability. Formulations containing CP achieved satisfactory printability only when SSG or HPMC was included. The optimal printability and rheological properties were achieved with formulations containing 5 % CP and 10 % SSG. Linear regression models correlated geometric volumes of the model and pycnometric volumes of printed objects, with validation showing that predicted masses were within a 95 % confidence interval of measured values for various shapes. All formulations demonstrated immediate-release properties, confirming the successful fabrication of personalised immediate-release dosage forms using semi-solid extrusion technology.

A novel directly compressible co-processed excipient, based-on rice starch for extended-release of tablets

The development of a direct compression excipient with extended-release property is crucial for improving tablet manufacturing and drug delivery. This research focuses on developing a novel co-processed excipient composed of rice starch (RS), methylcellulose (MC), and colloidal silicon dioxide (CSD) using a wet granulation technique. The ratios of RS: MC (1.66:1-1:3) and CSD concentrations (1.0 - 8.26 %) on the properties of co-processed material were evaluated. The RS co-processed with MC and CS (RMSs) formed agglomerate particles (199 - 294 μm of average particle size) with irregular shapes and rough surfaces due to the wet granulation technique. FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed that there was no change in the chemical structure during co-processing, while the amorphous characteristic of MC considerably decreased the crystallinity of the RMSs. The increase in the particle size and the bulk density of the RMSs improved material flowability (17 - 18° for angle of repose) and facilitated particle rearrangement during die filling. RS plasticity promoted material compressibility, while the brittleness of CSD contributed to the increased tablet tensile strength. The elastic recovery of RMSs relied on the ratio of RS, which facilitated permanent bonding, whereas incorporating CSD reduced the lubricant sensitivity of material. The co-processing with MC significantly improved material swellability and effectively maintained the polymer matrix for a long period in media with pH 1.2, 4.5, and 7.5. The in vitro release study confirmed the ability of RMSs to prolong drug release from the matrix tablets, where the cumulative drug release of RMS-2 tablets met the specification and conformed with Higuchi model. Among the RMSs, RMS-2 (RS co-processed with 48.7 % MC and 2.68 % CSD) exhibited the optimal ratio of co-processing, as it demonstrated more favorable compression behavior and extended-release property than other RMSs. These findings indicated that RMSs could potentially be used as a direct compression excipient with extended-release properties.

Native starch derived from different botanical sources as an effective co-cushioning agent in MUPS tablets

Compaction of sustained release coated pellets into multi-unit pellet system (MUPS) tablets has been associated with damage to the functional polymer layer, leading to a loss in desired sustained release function. Many filler materials and complex processes have been studied on their ability to mitigate compaction-induced pellet coat damage. Among these, native or unprocessed starches included in the filler material have not been explored well despite being a simple strategy. Sustained release pellets with ethylcellulose or acrylic coats were compacted into MUPS tablets with different filler materials, containing microcrystalline cellulose and native starch at 25 %, w/w or 40 %, w/w derived from rice, tapioca, corn, or potato. The MUPS tablet tensile strength and the extent of pellet coat damage were evaluated. Although starch weakened the tablets, rice and tapioca starch significantly mitigated pellet coat damage the most by 10 - 44 % (p < 0.008). Higher starch concentrations and higher compaction pressures led to a greater cushioning effect, which was indicated to result from reduced plastic deformation and increased particle rearrangement of the filler material. Pellets coated with acrylic benefitted more from starch and experienced less coat damage than pellets with ethylcellulose coats. This research demonstrates the use of native starches as a simple method to mitigate pellet coat damage in MUPS tablets.

Rubusoside As a Multifunctional Stabilizer for Novel Nanocrystal-Based Solid Dispersions with a High Drug Loading: A Case Study

The oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs has always been the focus of pharmaceutical researchers. We innovatively combined nanocrystal technology and solid dispersion technology to prepare novel nanocrystalline solid dispersions (NCSDs), which enable both the solidification and redispersion of nanocrystals, offering a promising new pathway for oral delivery of insoluble Chinese medicine ingredients. The rubusoside (Rub) was first used as the multifunctional stabilizer of novel apigenin nanocrystal-based solid dispersions (AP-NSD), improving the in vitro solubilization rate of the insoluble drug apigenin(AP). AP-NSD has been produced using a combination of homogenisation and spray-drying technology. The effects of stabilizer type and concentration on AP nanosuspensions (AP-NS) particles, span, and zeta potential were studied. And the effects of different types of protective agents on the yield and redispersibility of AP-NSD were also studied. Furthermore, AP-NSD was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Solubility was used to assess the in vitro dissolution of AP-NSD relative to APIs and amorphous solid dispersions (AP-ASD), and AP-ASD was prepared by the solvent method. The results showed that 20% Rub stabilized AP-NSD exhibited high drug-loading and good redispersibility and stability, and higher in vitro dissolution rate, which may be related to the presence of Rub on surface of drug. Therefore provides a natural and safe option for the development of formulations for insoluble drugs.

Synthesis and characterization of citrate soft rice starch: A new strategy of producing disintegrating agent for design drug and resistant starch

Assam soft rice starch (ASRS) and Citric acid-esterified Assam soft rice starch (c-ASRS) were studied extensively. FTIR, CHN, DSC, XRD, SEM, TEM and optical microscope studies were performed for native and modified starches. Powder rearrangements, cohesiveness and flowability were studied by the Kawakita plot. Moisture and ash content was around 9 % and 0.5 %. In vitro digestibility of ASRS and c-ASRS produced functional RS. Paracetamol tablets were prepared using ASRS and c-ASRS as granulating-disintegrating agents through wet granulation methods. The prepared tablets' physical properties, disintegrant properties, in vitro dissolution and dissolution efficiency (DE) were performed. The average particle size was obtained at 6.59 ± 0.355 μm and 8.15 ± 0.168 μm for ASRS and c-ASRS, respectively. All the results were statistically significant at p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001. The amylose content was 6.78 %, classifying it as a low amylose type of starch. The disintegration time was reduced with the increasing concentration of ASRS and c-ASRS and facilitated the immediate release of the model drug from the tablet compact to improve its bioavailability. Therefore, the current investigation concludes that ASRS and c-ASRS can be used as novel and functional materials in pharmaceutical industries due to their unique physicochemical attributes. HYPOTHESIS: The central hypothesis of the current work was to develop citrated starch through a one-step reactive extrusion method and investigate its disintegrants property for pharmaceutical tablets. Extrusion is a continuous, simple, high-speed, low-cost, producing very limited wastewater and gas. Characterization was done through different instrumental techniques to confirm successful esterification. The flow properties were evaluated, and tablets were prepared at a different level of ASRS and c-ASRS (disintegrating agent), followed by the evaluation of tablets to confirm the model drug's dissolution and disintegration efficiency. Finally, in vitro digestibility of both ASRS and c-ASRS was analyzed to establish their potential nutritional benefits.

Improved direct compression properties of Gardeniae Fructus water extract powders via fluid bed-mediated surface engineering

Direct compression (DC) attracts increasing attention for tablet manufacturing; however, its application in medicinal plant tablets is still extremely limited. In this work, eight kinds of the Gardeniae Fructus water extract powder (GF)-based composite particles (CPs) were prepared with different cohesive surface engineering materials, including dextran, inulin, hypromellose, and povidone, alone or in combination with mannitol and colloidal silica. Their physical properties and compacting parameters were characterized comprehensively. All the CPs showed marked improvement in tabletability, which is about 2-4 times higher than that of GF and physical mixtures (PMs). Specifically, the CPs showed a 7.45-26.48 times higher hardness value and a 1.26-2.74 times higher cohesiveness value than PMs. In addition, all the CPs (angle of repose being from 34.27° to 38.46°) showed better flowability than PMs (35.49° to 53.53°) and GF (51.86°). These results demonstrated that (i) fluid-bed coating was not a simple process of superposition and transmission of the physical properties of raw materials; and (ii) all the surface engineering materials studied could improve the DC properties of problematic GF to some degree. As a whole, through the design of fluid-bed coating CPs, qualified tablets with high GF loadings (up to 93%) were produced via DC.

Particle Engineering of Chitosan and Kaolin Composite as a Novel Tablet Excipient by Nanoparticles Formation and Co-Processing

Chitosan is not a common excipient for direct compression due to poor flowability and inadequate compressibility. Co-processing of chitosan and kaolin is a challenging method to overcome the limitations of the individual excipients. The purpose of the present study was to develop co-processed chitosan–kaolin by the spray drying technique (rotary atomizer spray dryer) and to characterize the excipient properties. The formation of chitosan nanoparticles was the major factor for desirable tablet hardness. The ratio of chitosan/tripolyphosphate of 10:1 and 20:1 had a significant effect on hardness. The successful development of co-processed chitosan–kaolin as a novel tablet excipient was obtained from a feed formulation composed of chitosan and kaolin at a ratio of 55:45 and the optimum chitosan/tripolyphosphate ratio of 20:1. Co-processing altered the physical properties of co-processed chitosan–kaolin in such a way that it enhanced the flowability and tableting performance compared to the physical mixture.

A review of emerging technologies enabling improved solid oral dosage form manufacturing and processing

Tablets are the most widely utilized solid oral dosage forms because of the advantages of self-administration, stability, ease of handling, transportation, and good patient compliance. Over time, extensive advances have been made in tableting technology. This review aims to provide an insight about the advances in tablet excipients, manufacturing, analytical techniques and deployment of Quality by Design (QbD). Various excipients offering novel functionalities such as solubility enhancement, super-disintegration, taste masking and drug release modifications have been developed. Furthermore, co-processed multifunctional ready-to-use excipients, particularly for tablet dosage forms, have benefitted manufacturing with shorter processing times. Advances in granulation methods, including moist, thermal adhesion, steam, melt, freeze, foam, reverse wet and pneumatic dry granulation, have been proposed to improve product and process performance. Furthermore, methods for particle engineering including hot melt extrusion, extrusion-spheronization, injection molding, spray drying / congealing, co-precipitation and nanotechnology-based approaches have been employed to produce robust tablet formulations. A wide range of tableting technologies including rapidly disintegrating, matrix, tablet-in-tablet, tablet-in-capsule, multilayer tablets and multiparticulate systems have been developed to achieve customized formulation performance. In addition to conventional invasive characterization methods, novel techniques based on laser, tomography, fluorescence, spectroscopy and acoustic approaches have been developed to assess the physical-mechanical attributes of tablet formulations in a non- or minimally invasive manner. Conventional UV-Visible spectroscopy method has been improved (e.g. fiber-optic probes and UV imaging-based approaches) to efficiently record the dissolution profile of tablet formulations. Numerous modifications in tableting presses have also been made to aid machine product changeover, cleaning, and enhance efficiency and productivity. Various process analytical technologies have been employed to track the formulation properties and critical process parameters. These advances will contribute to a strategy for robust tablet dosage forms with excellent performance attributes.

Formulation Study of a Co-Processed, Rice Starch-Based, All-in-One Excipient for Direct Compression Using the SeDeM-ODT Expert System

A co-processed, rice starch-based excipient (CS), previously developed and shown to exhibit good pharmaceutical properties, is investigated as an all-in-one excipient for direct compression (DC). An SeDeM-ODT expert system is applied to evaluate the formulation containing CS, in comparison with those containing the physical mixture and the commercial DC excipients. The results revealed that CS showed acceptable values in all six incidence factors of the SeDeM-ODT diagram. In addition, the comprehensive indices (IGC and IGCB) were higher than 5.0, which indicated that CS could be compressed with DC technique without additional blending with a disintegrant in tablet formulation. The formulation study suggested that CS can be diluted up to 60% in the formulation to compensate for unsatisfactory properties of paracetamol. At this percentage, CS-containing tablets exhibited narrow weight variation (1.5%), low friability (0.43%), acceptable drug content (98%), and rapid disintegration (10 s). The dissolution profile of CS displayed that more than 80% of the drug content was released within 2 min. The functionality of CS was comparable to that of high functionality excipient composite (HFEC), whereas other excipients were unsuccessful in formulating the tablets. These results indicated that CS was a suitable all-in-one excipient for application in DC of tablets.

Texture and surface feature-mediated striking improvements on multiple direct compaction properties of Zingiberis Rhizoma extracted powder by coprocessing with nano-silica

The study aims to markedly improve direct compaction (DC) properties of Zingiberis Rhizoma extracted powder (ZR) by modifying its texture and surface properties with nano-silica (NS). A wet coprocessing method was applied to evenly distribute up to 33.3% NS to ZR. To clarify uniqueness of NS, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), a superior filler-binder in DC, was used as control. Coprocessed particles and physical mixtures (PMs) were comprehensively evaluated for surface features, micromeritic properties, and texture and compacting parameters. Compared to MCC, NS could more significantly modify the texture and surface features of ZR (e.g., hardness, cohesiveness, yield pressure, and nanoscaled surface roughness) via coprocessing, resulting in more striking improvements on multiple DC properties of ZR, including tabletability, flowability, lubricant sensitivity, hygroscopicity, etc. Especially, tensile strength (σ_t) of coprocessed ZR-NS (1:0.5) tablets was 4.62 and 3.22 times that of ZR and ZR-MCC counterparts pressed at 210 MPa, respectively. Moreover, percolation thresholds of σ_t enhancement were observed for ZR-NSs, but not for ZR-MCCs. Evaluation by the SeDeM expert system indicated that some ZR-NSs (but no ZR-MCCs) were qualified for DC. Collectively, coprocessing with NS by liquid dispersion appears to be a novel, effective, and pragmatic option for DC of drugs like ZR.