Structural investigation of spherical hollow excipient Mannit Q by X-ray microtomography.

The structure of Mannit Q particles, an excipient made by spray-drying a d-mannitol solution, and Mannit Q tablets were investigated by synchrotron X-ray microtomography. The Mannit Q particles had a spherical shape with a hollow core. The shells of the particles consisted of fine needle-shaped crystals, and columnar crystals were present in the hollows. These structural features suggested the following formation mechanism for the hollow particles:during the spray-drying process, the solvent rapidly evaporated from the droplet surface, resulting in the formation of shells made of fine needle-shaped crystals.Solvent remaining inside the shells then evaporated slowly and larger columnar crystals grew as the hollows formed. Although most of the Mannit Q particles were crushed on tableting, some of the particles retained their hollow structures, probably because the columnar crystals inside the hollows functioned as props. This demonstrated that the tablets with porous void spaces may be readily manufactured using Mannit Q.

Structural changes of polymer-coated microgranules and excipients on tableting investigated by microtomography using synchrotron X-ray radiation.

Multiple-unit tablets consisting of polymer-coated microgranules and excipients have a number of advantageous pharmaceutical properties. Polymer-coated microgranules are known to often lose their functionality because of damage to the polymer coating caused by tableting, and the mechanism of polymer coating damage as well as the structural changes of excipients upon tableting had been investigated but without in-situ visualization and quantitative analysis. To elucidate the mechanism of coating damage, the internal structures of multiple-unit tablets were investigated by X-ray computed microtomography using synchrotron X-rays. Cross sectional images of the tablets with sub-micron spatial resolution clearly revealed that void spaces remained around the compressed excipient particles in the tablets containing an excipient composed of cellulose and lactose (Cellactose(®) 80), whereas much smaller void spaces remained in the tablets containing an excipient made of sorbitol (Parteck(®) SI 150). The relationships between the void spaces and the physical properties of the tablets such as hardness and disintegration were investigated. Damage to the polymer coating in tablets was found mainly where polymer-coated microgranules were in direct contact with each other in both types of tablets, which could be attributed to the difference in hardness of excipient particles and the core of the polymer-coated microgranules.

Fine granules showing sustained drug release prepared by high-shear melt granulation using triglycerin full behenate and milled microcrystalline cellulose.

This study aimed to prepare fine granules with a diameter less than 200µm and sustained drug release properties by melt granulation. Triglycerin full behenate (TR-FB) was examined as a new meltable binder (MB) by comparison of its properties with those of glycerin monostearate (GM), widely used as MB. The effect of milling microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), an excipient for melt granulation, on the granule properties was also investigated. TR-FB was more stable during heating and storage than GM, and produced smaller granules with narrower particle size distribution, larger yield in the 106-200µm range, uniform roundness and better sustained drug release profile than those prepared with GM. Granules prepared with milled MCC had almost the same physicochemical properties as those produced with intact MCC. However, milled MCC produced granules with a more rigid structure and smaller void space than intact MCC. Consequently, the granules produced with milled MCC showed better sustained drug release behavior than those prepared with intact MCC. We successfully prepared fine granules with sustained drug release properties and diameter of less than 200µm using TR-FB and milled MCC.

Investigation of internal structure of fine granules by microtomography using synchrotron X-ray radiation.

Computed tomography (CT) using synchrotron X-ray radiation was evaluated as a non-destructive structural analysis method for fine granules. Two kinds of granules have been investigated: a bromhexine hydrochloride (BHX)-layered Celphere CP-102 granule coated with pH-sensitive polymer Kollicoat Smartseal 30-D, and a wax-matrix granule constructed from acetaminophen (APAP), dibasic calcium phosphate dehydrate, and aminoalkyl methacrylate copolymer E (AMCE) manufactured by melt granulation. The diameters of both granules were 200-300 µm. CT analysis of CP-102 granule could visualize the laminar structures of BHX and Kollicoat layers, and also visualize the high talc-content regions in the Kollicoat layer that could not be detected by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, CT analysis using X-ray energies above the absorption edge of Br specifically enhanced the contrast in the BHX layer. As for granules manufactured by melt granulation, CT analysis revealed that they had a small inner void space due to a uniform distribution of APAP and other excipients. The distribution of AMCE revealed by CT analysis was also found to involve in the differences of drug dissolution from the granules as described previously. These observations demonstrate that CT analysis using synchrotron X-ray radiation is a powerful method for the detailed internal structure analysis of fine granules.