Research on Technology of Medicinal Functional Food

Particle coating is one of the oldest pharmaceutical processes that is still in existence. It is the process of applying a thin polymer-based film to a particle or granule containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient. The widely used methods for particle coating are sugar coating, film coating, and enteric coating and the techniques are pan coating, fluidized bed coating, and compression coating. Sugar coating was the earlier coating method, and it was gradually replaced by film coating because it required skilled manipulation. With the technology developing, enteric coating draws more attention. Pan coating is the most classic coating technique, which is applied to sugar coating, film coating and enteric coating. Fluid bed coating is used for a mixture of multiple materials and medicines and keeps the bioavailability high. Compression coating can avoid the harmful effects of moisture and high temperature, while it requires highly accurate machinery.

Preparation, Characterization and In Vitro / In Vivo Evaluation of Oral Time-Controlled Release Etodolac Pellets

The objective of this study was to prepare time-controlled release etodolac pellets to facilitate drug administration according to the body's biological rhythm, optimize the drug's desired effects, and minimize adverse effects. The preparation consisted of three laminal layers from center to outside: the core, the swelling layer, and the insoluble polymer membrane. Factors influenced the core and the coating films were investigated in this study. The core pellets formulated with etodolac, lactose, and sodium carboxymethyl starch (CMS-Na) were prepared by extrusion-spheronization and then coated by a fluidized bed coater. Croscarmellose sodium (CC-Na) was selected as the swelling agent, and ethyl cellulose (EC) as the controlled release layer. The prepared pellets were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and evaluated by a dissolution test and a pharmacokinetic study. Compared with commercial available capsules, pharmacokinetics studies in beagle dogs indicated that the prepared pellets release the drug within a short period of time, immediately after a predetermined lag time. A good correlation between in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption of the pellets was exhibited in the analysis.

Recent advancements in the cardiovascular drug carriers

Cardiovascular disease is the disease that affects the cardiovascular system, vascular diseases of the brain and kidney, and peripheral arterial disease. Despite of all advances in pharmacological and clinical treatment, heart failure is a leading cause of morbidness and mortality worldwide. Many new therapeutic advance strategies, including cell transplantation, gene delivery or therapy, and cytokines or other small molecules, have been research to treat heart failure. The main aim of this review article is to focus on nano carriers advancement and addressing the problems associated with old and modern therapeutics such as nonspecific effects and poor stability.

Film coatings for oral pulsatile release

Pulsatile delivery is generally intended as a release of the active ingredient that is delayed for a programmable period of time to meet particular chronotherapeutic needs and, in the case of oral administration, also target distal intestinal regions, such as the colon. Most oral pulsatile delivery platforms consist in coated formulations wherein the applied polymer serves as the release-controlling agent. When exposed to aqueous media, the coating initially performs as a protective barrier and, subsequently, undergoes a timely failure based on diverse mechanisms depending on its physico-chemical and formulation characteristics. Indeed, it may be ruptured because of the gradual expansion of the core, swell and/or erode due to the glassy-rubbery polymer transition or become permeable thus allowing the drug molecules to diffuse outwards. Otherwise, when the coating is a semipermeable membrane provided with one or more orifices, the drug is released through the latter as a result of an osmotic water influx. The vast majority of pulsatile delivery systems described so far have been prepared by spray-coating, which offers important versatility and feasibility advantages over other techniques such as press- and dip-coating. In the present article, the design, manufacturing and performance of spray-coated pulsatile delivery platforms is thus reviewed.

On-off pulsed oral drug-delivery systems: a possible tool for drug delivery in chronotherapy

Circadian rhythms regulate most body functions and are important factors to consider when administering drugs. The existence of circadian rhythms in nature and their influences on human biological systems have given rise to the concept of chronotherapy, which is the science of delivering drugs in a synchronized manner with the rhythm-dependent circadian variation inherent in the human body. The safety and efficacy of a drug can be improved by matching the peak plasma concentration during a 24 h period of the rhythms. An on-off pulsed (pulsatile or time-controlled) release drug-delivery system offers rapid and transient release; stepwise release; and the sustained release of a certain amount of drug within a short time period after a predetermined off-release period according to the circadian rhythm of disease states. These systems deliver the drug at the right time and at an appropriate dosage and are the best approach for chronotherapy. These systems show promise for the optimal therapy of chronic diseases such as asthma, hypertension, myocardial infarction and arthritis, which show a circadian dependency. Various technologies have been adopted to mimic circadian rhythms in physiological functions and diseases. This review focuses on the basic concept of circadian rhythm, chronotherapy and recent advances in the development of on-off pulsed oral drug-delivery systems for optimal therapy.

Development and evaluation of cetirizine HCl taste-masked oral disintegrating tablets

The purpose of the current study was to mask the taste of cetirizine HCl and to incorporate the granules produced in oral disintegrating tablets (ODT). The bitter, active substance was coated by fluidized bed coating using Eudragit® RL30-D at levels between 15% and 40% w/w. The ODTs were developed by varying the ratio of superdisintegrants such as sodium croscarmellose, crospovidone grades and low substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (L-HPC). A direct compression process was used to compress the ODTs under various compaction forces to optimize tablet robustness. The properties of the compressed tablets including porosity, hardness, friability and dissolution profiles were further investigated. The in vitro and in vivo evaluation of the tablet disintegration times showed almost identical rapid disintegration below 10 s at the optimal levels of each superdisintegrant. Finally, the taste and sensory evaluation in human volunteers demonstrated excellence in masking the bitter active and tablet palatability.