Networked cellulosic gel material as a pharmaceutical excipient

Abstract

Networked cellulosic (NC) material was prepared in a gel form via sulfuric acid dissolution and hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and then regeneration in ethanol. The regenerated material was utilized as tablet excipient. Prepared tablets have shown interesting properties regarding hardness. Tablets were prepared via slip casting of formulas mixed with different NC gel concentrations. The hardness of prepared tablets was measured using tablet hardness tester. It was noticed that the hardness of the tablets increased over a wide range and up to 420 N. The hardness was mainly controlled by the concentration of the NC gel material. Despite of their high hardness, prepared tablets have shown full drug release capabilities. The new technique to prepare these tablets can be implemented in a continuous process that minimizes the disadvantages of batch processing.