Disintegration, of tablets and capsules

Filling agents are inert substances to be added to increase the mass of solid and semisolid preparations. Disintegration agents promote the disintegration of tablets and capsules. 

Ph. Eur. 2.9.1 Disintegration of tablets and capsules describes the equipment and the method of analysis. The disintegration medium that has to be used as well as the quality requirements are specific for the dosage form and can be fotmd in the appropriate monographs. The requirement for solid capsules is for example disintegration in water within 30 min. 

Calcium sulfate dihydrate is used in the formulation of tablets and capsules. In granular form it has good compaction properties and moderate disintegration properties. 

Dissolution time and disintegration time of tablets and capsules... 

GACP, GMP and GLP standards. During the industrial manufacturing of herbal medicinal products not only the raw material is subject to rigid quality control, but also the quality of the semi-manufactured and finished product is monitored (in-process controls) and evaluated (end controls on content, identity, purity). Finally a pharmaceutical dosage form should comply with the applicable pharmacopoeial standards (e.g., crush strength of tablets, disintegration time of tablets and capsules, uniformity of mass and content [11-13]). 

We include certain excipients in a formulation specifically because they interact with the physiological fluids and the bodily functions in a certain way. For example, as discussed above, we include disintegrants in immediate release tablet and capsule formulations, because we know that when they encounter the aqueous environment of the stomach, they will cause the tablet or capsule to disintegrate and thereby aid dissolution of the API. Another example is the general case of hydrophilic colloid matrices used as prolonged release drug delivery systems. We know that when these materials contact the aqueous environment of the GIT they swell and create a diffusion barrier that slows the rate of dissolution of the dissolved drug. 

Graham, D.Y., J.L. Smith, and A.A. Bouvet. 1990. What happens to tablets and capsules in the stomach Endoscopic comparison of disintegration and dispersion characteristics of two micro-encapsulated potassium formulations. J Pharm Sci 79 420. 

Analysts test tablets and capsules for dissolution and disintegration properties. The analyst may use solutions that simulate the contents of the human stomach or intestines for these tests. Only when the analysts are sure that the tablets pass all the necessary requirements are the tablets shipped to retail stores. 

The development of theories of dissolution from disintegrating tablets and capsules becomes very difficult because disintegration produces vast changes in surface area. Attempts have been made to develop models to describe dissolution rates from tablets using complex mathematical approaches. " ... 

For tablets and capsules, excipients are needed both for the facilitation of the tableting and capsule-filling process (e.g., glidants) and for the formulation (e.g., disintegrants). Except for diluents, which may be present in large quantity, the level of excipient use is usually limited to only a few percent and some lubricants will be required at <1%. Details of the types, uses, and mechanisms of action of various excipients for tablet and capsule production have been discussed at length in other articles in this encyclopedia. The types and functions of excipients for tablet production are summarized in Table 1. Although binders. 

Alginic acid is used in a variety of oral and topical pharmaceutical formulations. In tablet and capsule formulations, alginic acid is used as both a binder and disintegrating agent at concentrations of 1-5% Alginic acid is widely... 

While tablets and capsules, the two most common solid dosage forms, have their own unique requirements, there are similarities between them. They both require the flow of the correct weight of material into a specific volume, the behaviour of the material under pressure is important and the wetting of the powder is critical for both granulation and subsequent disintegration and dissolution of the dosage form. 

The properties of all excipients present in the tablet must be considered for their possible effects on the final preparation, such as weight variation, disintegration time, dissolution characteristics and in vivo performance. The lower the proportion of the active substance present in the mixture, the more difficult it is to achieve a sufficient homogeneity. In Sects. 4.9 and 4.10, the formulation of tablets and the possibilities to process coated or modified-release tablets in capsules are discussed. 

Only a dissolved active substance can be absorbed in the bloodstream. To be able to dissolve the active substance first has to be released from the pharmaceutical form. The disintegration of oral dosage forms such as capsules and tablets and the disintegration of rectal and vaginal dosage forms such as suppositories are therefore important pharmaceutical parameters for the effectiveness of the medicine. 

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