Bridging the structure gap between pellets in artificial dissolution media and in gastro-intestinal tract in rats

Changes in structure of oral solid dosage forms(OSDF) elementally determine the drug release and its therapeutic effects.In this research,synchrotron radiation X-ray micro-computed tomography was utilized to visualize the 3 D structure of enteric coated pellets recovered from the gastrointestinal tract of rats.The structures of pellets in solid state and in vitro compendium media were measured.Pellets in vivo underwent morphological and structural changes which differed significantly from those in vitro compendium media.Thus,optimizations of the dissolution media were performed to mimic the appropriate in vivo conditions by introducing pepsin and glass microspheres in media.The sphericity,pellet volume,pore volume and porosity of the in vivo esomeprazole magnesium pellets in stomach for2 h were recorded 0.47,1.55 × 10^(8)μm^(3),0.44 × 10^(8)μm^(3)and 27.6%,respectively.After adding pepsin and glass microspheres,the above parameters in vitro reached to 0.44,1.64 × 10^(8)μm^(3)0.38 × 10^(8)μm^(3)and 23.0%,respectively.Omeprazole magnesium pellets behaved similarly.The structural features of pellets between in vitro media and in vivo condition were bridged successfully in terms of 3 D structures to ensure better design,characterization and quality control of advanced OSDF.

Redefinition to bilayer osmotic pump tablets as subterranean river system within mini-earth via three-dimensional structure mechanism

Defining and visualizing the three-dimensional(3 D) structures of pharmaceuticals provides a new and important tool to elucidate the phenomenal behavior and underlying mechanisms of drug delivery systems. The mechanism of drug release from complex structured dosage forms, such as bilayer osmotic pump tablets, has not been investigated widely for most solid 3 D structures. In this study, bilayer osmotic pump tablets undergoing dissolution, as well as after dissolution in a desiccated solid state were examined, and visualized by synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography(SR-μCT). In situ formed 3 D structures at different in vitro drug release states were characterized comprehensively. A distinct movement pattern of NaCl crystals from the push layer to the drug layer was observed, beneath the semi-permeable coating in the desiccated tablet samples. The 3 D structures at different dissolution time revealed that the pushing upsurge in the bilayer osmotic pump tablet was directed via peripheral“roadways”. Typically, different regions of the osmotic front, infiltration region, and dormant region were classified in the push layer during the dissolution of drug from tablet samples. According to the observed3 D microstructures, a “subterranean river model” for the drug release mechanism has been defined to explain the drug release mechanism.