ABSTRACT
In recent years, the use of active substances as excipients or as substitutes for other excipients in the design of modern drug delivery systems has received widespread attention, which has promoted the development of the theory of unification of medicines and excipients in the design of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) preparations. Adopting the theory of unification of medicines and excipients to design drug delivery systems can reduce the use of excipients and thus the cost of preparations, reduce drug toxicity, increase drug solubility and biocompatibility, enhance synergistic effect, and realize targeted delivery and simultaneous delivery of multiple components. However, the research on the application of this theory in the modern drug delivery system of TCM preparations is still insufficient, with few relevant articles. In addition, the TCM active substances that can be used as the excipients remain to be catalogued. In this paper, we review the types and applications of the drug delivery systems with TCM active substances as excipients and describe their common construction methods and mechanisms, aiming to provide references for the in-depth research on the modern drug delivery systems for TCM preparations.
Subject(s)
Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Excipients , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Nanomedicine , Pharmaceutical PreparationsABSTRACT
After more than 100 years of development， spray drying technology has become more mature and widely used， and it is of great importance in the field of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. TCM powders prepared by spray drying is the raw material of dispensing granules， and the powder properties have an important influence on subsequent molding process and product quality. As a new form of TCM， dispensing granules have been included in the management category of TCM decoction pieces， indicating a broader application market， and a consensus has also been reached on the importance of TCM powder research. Based on this， the author summarized the application progress of spray drying in the study of TCM powders， including the factors affecting spray drying process， such as liquid properties， process parameters and equipment factors， as well as the application of computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and thermodynamic model in spray drying process simulation. Moreover， some commonly used pharmaceutical excipients for the modification of TCM powders were also introduced such as maltodextrin， microcrystalline cellulose and povidone. In addition， spray drying technology can also be used as a preparation technology for new drug delivery systems such as microcapsules and solid dispersions. Through the summary of this paper， the author suggests that the future research direction of spray drying of TCM can be carried out from the aspects of application rule of the coprocessing auxiliary materials based on the "unification of medicines and excipients"， the "structure-property" relationship of spray-dried powders and the application of computer simulation and design， so as to further enrich the application of spray drying in the field of TCM powders.
ABSTRACT
As the main active ingredient of the orchidaceous herb Bletilla striata, B. striata polysaccharide(BSP) has pharmacological activities such as promoting coagulation, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, promoting wound healing, anti-tumor, and immunomodulation, and is biodegradable and non-toxic. Additionally, it has the material properties of suspension thickening, film-forming adhesion, coating and solubilizing, targeting and slow releasing, effect-enhancing and toxicity-reducing, etc., playing the role of unification of medicines and excipients. Therefore, BSP has a wide application prospect in the fields of drug delivery system and trauma repair. This paper reviews the research progress of BSP application in new drug delivery systems and biomaterials based on the related li-terature in recent years, with the aim of providing reference for the further research and application of BSP.
Subject(s)
Biocompatible Materials , Drug Delivery Systems , Orchidaceae , Polysaccharides , Wound HealingABSTRACT
With Sangtang Yin granule as model drug,and based on the strategy of " unification of medicines and excipients",the feasibility of preparing high drug loading granules with traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) raw powder as carrier was explored. The powder yield,particle size and particle size distribution,fillibility,flowability,hygroscopicity,reconstituability and other key physical properties relating to preparations of 8 herbs( Dioscoreae Rhizoma,Euryales Semen,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Coicis semen,Poria,Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Puerariae Thomsonii Radix and Coicis Semen by stir-frying with bran) were studied after being smashed,and the feasibility of taking them as excipients of TCM granules was evaluated by co-spray drying,dry granulation and other preparation techniques. According to the results of the physical properties of raw powders,raw powders of Dioscoreae Rhizoma,Euryales Semen and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix had a high powder yield,uniform particle size distribution,good fillibility,poor hygroscopicity and good reconstitutability,with the feature of assisting granule forming. Compared with the prescription of spray dry powder Sangtang Yin without any excipient,the co-sprayed powder had a high yield,good fillibility and compressibility. The yield of dry granules prepared by co-spraying dry powder was increased by more than 10%,and the particles had a uniform color,good fluidity and dissolubility with the drug-loading rate up to 100%. Based on the physical characteristics of TCM raw powder combined with the analysis of the preparation process,Dioscoreae Rhizoma and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix raw powder were selected as the carriers of granule preparations,and Sangtang Yin granule without any excipient was successfully prepared. The findings provide a feasible idea for the preparation of TCM granules with a high drug loading capacity.
Subject(s)
Excipients , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Particle Size , Powders , Pueraria , RhizomeABSTRACT
Objective: To optimize Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP)/polyvinylalcohol (PVA) wet spinning process by Box- Behnken response surface method and prepare the composite fiber and performe their structural characterization and performance evaluation. Methods: Taking the OD value of three types of mechanical property data (breaking force, breaking strength and elongation at break) of the fiber as the evaluation index, five factors (BSP mass fraction, PVA mass fraction, volumetric mix ratio of BSP/PVA, coagulation time and spinning speed) were investigated by single factor experiments. On the basis of the results of single factor experiments, three factors (BSP mass fraction, volumetric mix ratio of BSP/PVA, coagulation time) were investigated by response surface method to optimize BSP/PVA composite fiber wet spinning process. The morphology, structure, thermal property, and absorption property of the fibers were characterized and analyzed by SEM, IR, DSC, and water absorption test. Berberine hydrochloride (BH) was used as model drug to evaluate the drug loading property of the composite fiber and antibacterial activity of the drug loading fiber. Results: The optimal spinning process of composite fiber were as follows: BSP mass fraction was 7.5%, volume mixing ratio of BSP/PVA was 1:1 and coagulation time was 3 min. The composite fiber had a dense surface and formed a three-dimensional network structure inside, generated intermolecular forces, which enhanced the thermal and mechanical properties, and exhibited excellent water absorption capacity. The encapsulation efficiency of the composite fiber reached 70.2%. And the drug loading fiber formed obvious inhibition zone in the bacteriostatic zone test, which presented excellent antibacterial effect against E. coli and S. aureus. Conclusion: The optimized spinning process is feasible and low cost. The prepared composite fiber has better physical property and certain coating ability, and its application in the field of biomedical textiles is worth further study.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the pharmacodynamic effect of “unification of medicines and excipients” and the mechanism of action about Shaoyao Gancao Intragastric Floating Tablets (SGIFT). Methods: Rabbits were randomly divided into control group and model group, Shenmei Yangwei Granule group (1.0 g/kg), Shaoyao Gancao Decoction extract group (1.0 g/kg), low-dose SGIFT group (1.0 g/kg), high-dose SGIFT group (1.5 g/kg), chitosan blank excipients group (1.0 g/kg). The acute gastric ulcer model was established in the blank excipient group without chitosan (1.0 g/kg). Six rats in each group, fasting for 24 h after 13 d of continuous administration, and gastric administration of anhydrous ethanol (2.5 mL/single). The blood and gastric tissue were taken out after 1.5 h to observe the pathological damage in each group. The expression of GAS, MDA, PG, epidermal growth factor (EGF) in serum and EGF, PGE2, TFF1 in gastric tissue of each group were detected. Results: Compared with the model group, the other groups can improve the gastric histopathology of rabbits with acute gastric ulcer effectively. The content of EGF in serum and EGF, PGE2, and TFF1 in gastric tissue of rabbits was increased in varying degrees, and the content of GAS, MDA, and PG in serum was all decreased in different degrees. Conclusion: SGIFT had certain therapeutic effects on rabbits with anhydrous ethanol gastric ulcer. The mechanism might be related to protecting gastric mucosa, increasing the content of protective factors, and reducing the content of attack factors.
ABSTRACT
"Unification of medicines and excipients" was the particular concept of medication use, pharmaceutical experience and philosophical wisdom in Chinese materia medica (CMM) preparations. However, the traditional experience has not been fully summed up, and the modern research and application have not attracted enough attentions. In this paper, the theoretical connotation and basic characteristics of "unification of medicines and excipients" were concluded, and the common phenomena and their physical chemical basis were summarized. Then, the design and application law of "medicines as excipients" and "excipients as medicines" were discussed. What's more, we have enumerated several modern research examples and analyzed its application value in the development of new excipients, new pharmaceutical preparation technology, and new CMM preparations. We hope to explore wisdom from the traditional experience, promote the integration of traditional knowledge and modern study, and finally accelerate the inheritance and innovation of pharmaceutics of CMM.