Effect of pulverization of the bulk powder on the hydration of creatine anhydrate tablets and their pharmaceutical properties

Understanding Crystal Cleavability and Physical Properties of Crystal Surfaces Using in Silico Simulation

In the drug formulation process, compound dissolution rate and wettability may be improved by grinding. However, there is no method to understand the effects of the wettability of the crystal facets of the ground product. Here, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was used to evaluate the changes in crystal morphology and dissolution rate by jet milling using powder X-ray diffraction and in silico simulation. Several cleavage facets were observed in cube crystals, and the (0 0 2) facet was observed in plate crystals. Furthermore, the dissolution rate of the ground samples per unit area decreased with the cleavage of the (1 0 0) and (0 0 2) facets. The polar surface energy of the ground sample decreased with increasing grinding pressure. The simulation results showed that the absolute attachment energy of the (1 0 0) and (0 0 2) facets was lower than that of the other crystal facets. Moreover, atoms with low polarity were present on the crystal surface of (0 0 2). The wettability and dissolution rate of the (0 0 2) facet were worse than those of the (1 0 0) facet. It was suggested that the dissolution rate of the ground sample was affected by the wettability of the crystal facet caused by the cleavage. The cleavability and wettability may be understood by simulation.

Effect of superfine grinding on antidiabetic activity of bitter melon powder

The antidiabetic activities of bitter melon powders produced with lyophilization/superfine grinding and hot air drying/normal grinding were investigated in vivo for selecting a suitable bitter melon processing procedure. After a five-week treatment, bitter melon lyophilized superfine grinding powder (BLSP) had a higher antidiabetic activity with reducing fasting blood glucose levels from 21.40 to 12.54 mmol/L, the serum insulin levels from 40.93 to 30.74 mIU/L, and restoring activities of SOD compared with those in the bitter melon hot air drying powder (BAP) treated group. Furthermore, BLSP protected pancreatic tissues including islet beta cells and reduced the loss of islet cells. Combined with the difference of compositions in BLSP and BAP, it could be concluded that superfine grinding and lyophilization processes were beneficial for presenting the antidiabetic activity, which will provide a reference for direct utilization of bitter melon as a suitable functional food to relieve symptoms of diabetes.