Stabilization mechanism of clarithromycin tablets under gastric pH conditions

It has been reported that tablets of clarithromycin (CAM), a 14-membered macrolide antibiotic, are especially stable under low pH conditions such as in gastric fluid, and showed excellent antibacterial efficiency even though CAM molecules themselves are rapidly decomposed. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the stabilization mechanism of CAM tablets under low pH conditions. From the results of stability and dissolution tests, the optimal decomposition rate constant (K(dec)) and dissolution rate constant (K(dis)) at various pH values were calculated by curve-fitting to consecutive reactions. Consequently, log(K(dec)) increased as pH decreased. On the other hand, log(K(dis)) increased as pH decreased from 3.0 to 1.5, but decreased as pH decreased from 1.5 to 1.0. In addition, the disintegration time of commercially available tablets at pH 1.0 and 1.2 was found to be delayed, resulting in a decrease of K(dis). Furthermore, from powder X-ray diffraction, HPLC and elemental analysis, the delay in disintegration time might be attributable to the formation of a transparent gel, formed by the reaction between CAM molecule and hydrochloric acid under low pH conditions, on the surface of CAM tablet. On the basis of these results, this report can be considered the first case where a transparent gel prevents gastric fluid from penetrating the tablet, resulting in reduced decomposition of CAM following oral administrating.     

Flow injection amperometric determination of acetaminophen at a gold nanoparticle modified carbon paste electrode

An amperometric detector with a gold nanoparticle modified carbon paste electrode (GNMCPE) was applied applied to flow injection analysis for the determination of acetaminophen. An obvious shift of the peak potential and increase of the current peak were observed for the GNMCPE in comparison to that of the bare carbon paste electrode. The experimental conditions, such as species of buffer, pH, flow rate, detection volume, injection volume, and injection time were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curve was obtained over the concentration range of 0.1–80 mg L^?1 of acetaminophen with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.9994. The detection limit (3σ) was estimated to be 0.05 mg L^?1 (n?=?7). The recoveries of acetaminophen were between 98.40% and 104.1%, and the relative standard deviation varied between 1.66% and 2.74% for the different samples. This method was applied to analyze six types of tablets obtained from a local drugstore. The contents of acetaminophen were found to be 0.498, 0.323, 0.249, 0.324, 0.319 and 0.323 g of each tablet, respectively. These results are consistent with the values obtained by high performance liquid chromatography.     

Acetaminophen particle design using chitosan and a spray-drying technique

In this study matrices were prepared from particles of poorly water-soluble drugs such as acetaminophen (Act) to determine the drug release rate from these matrix particles. The matrix particles were prepared by incorporating drugs into chitosan powder (Cht, carrier) using a spray-drying method. The formation of composite particles was confirmed by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis. The matrix particles prepared by spray-drying were spherical with a smooth surface. The crystallinity of acetaminophen in the composite particles was evaluated by powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The degree of crystallinity of acetaminophen in the matrix particles decreased with a reduction in the weight ratio of acetaminophen relative to the carrier. These results indicate that a solid dispersion of acetaminophen in chitosan forms matrix particles. The interaction between acetaminophen and chitosan was also investigated by FT-IR analysis. FT-IR spectroscopy of the acetaminophen solid dispersion suggested that the carbonyl group of acetaminophen and the amino group of chitosan formed a hydrogen bond. There were some differences at pH levels of 1.2 and 6.8 in the release of acetaminophen from the physical mixture compared to the matrix particles. At pH 1.2, the release from the matrix particles (Act : Cht=1 : 5) was more sustained than from the physical mixtures. The 70% release time, T70, of acetaminophen from the matrix particles (Act : Cht=1 : 5) increased in pH 1.2 fluid by about 9-fold and in pH 6.8 fluid by about 5-fold compared to crystalline acetaminophen. These results suggest that matrix particles prepared by spray-drying are useful as a sustained release preparation.     

Effect of pulverization and dehydration on the pharmaceutical properties of calcium lactate pentahydrate tablets

The effects of heat conduction and pulverization on dehydration kinetics and tablet hardness were studied by a variety of kinetic equations and physical models. The dehydration behavior of unpulverized calcium lactate pentahydrate (UCLP) and pulverized calcium lactate pentahydrate (PCLP) tablets was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The hardness of both UCLP and PCLP tablets was significantly decreased after dehydration. The relationship between the extent of dehydration and the tablet hardness of both UCLP and PCLP tablets was linear. The results suggest that the reduction in tablet hardness is dependent on the dehydration of crystal water, and the values of the slopes indicate that the bonding energy of the UCLP was stronger than that of the PCLP. The dehydration of both UCLP and PCLP tablets at 55 °C followed a one-dimensional diffusion mechanism, whereas dehydration at storage temperatures of 60–80 °C followed a three-dimensional diffusion mechanism. UCLP and PCLP tablets contracted in thickness and diameter during dehydration, but final contraction ratios showed that PCLP tablets were more affected than UCLP tablets. In contrast, the micropore radius of both UCLP and PCLP tablets increased after dehydration. Thus, the pharmaceutical properties of calcium lactate pentahydrate (CLP) tablets are affected both by pulverization and by the extent of dehydration of the bulk powder in the tablet formulation.     

Disintegration test to measure lot-to-lot variations of vaginal tablets

Attempts were made to investigate the disintegration test for vaginal tablets. Disintegration tests were done for four different commercial vaginal tablets (three lots each) by the watch glass method and Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) disintegration method, and the resulting profiles were compared to those by the modified British Pharmacopoeia (BP) method on a point of lot-to-lot variation of the disintegration times. The disintegration time of every tablet by the modified BP method was longest, followed by the watch glass method, and finally by the JP disintegration method. The results for lot-to-lot differences in disintegration times by the modified BP method were similar to those by the watch glass method. However, such lot-to-lot differences as found by the modified BP method and watch glass method were not always observed by the JP disintegration method. It was concluded from these results that the modified BP method was most suitable for investigating lot-to-lot differences in the disintegration of vaginal tablets.     

Removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewaters using amine-functionalized nanoporous carbon as a novel sorbent

Nano-porous carbon (NPC) was synthesized by hydrothermal condensation of fructose and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and also nitrogen adsorption analysis. It was then modified with amino groups and used as a sorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions. The formation of amino-modified NPC was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and elemental analysis. NPC was applied for removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions. The effects of sample pH and the adsorption kinetics were studied, and the adsorption capacity was determined. The sorbent was applied to the removal of heavy metal ions in industrial waste water samples.

pH-dependence of pesticide adsorption by wheat-residue-derived black carbon

The potential of black carbon as an adsorbent for pesticides in soils may be strongly influenced by the properties of the adsorbent and pesticides and by the environmental conditions. This study evaluated the effect of pH on the adsorption of diuron, bromoxynil, and ametryne by a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) residue derived black carbon (WC) as compared to a commercial activated carbon (AC). The pH drift method indicated that WC had a point of zero charge of 4.2, much lower than that of 7.8 for AC. The density of oxygen-containing surface functional groups, measured by the Boehm titration, on WC was 5.4 times higher than that on AC, resulting in a pesticide adsorption by WC being 30-50% of that by AC, due to the blockage of WC surface by the waters associated with the functional groups. A small decrease (5.5%/unit pH) in diuron adsorption by WC with increase in pH resulted from increased deprotonation of surface functional groups at higher pH values. A much larger decrease (14-21%/unit pH) in bromoxynil adsorption by WC with increase in pH resulted from the deprotonation of both the adsorbate and surface functional groups of the adsorbent. The deprotonation reduced the adsorptive interaction between bromoxynil and the neutral carbon surface and increased the electrical repulsion between the negatively charged WC surface and bromoxynil anions. Deprotonation of ametryne with increase in pH over the low pH range increased its fraction of molecular form and thus adsorption on WC by 15%/unit pH. Further increase in pH resulted in a 20%/unit pH decrease in ametryne adsorption by WC due primarily to the development of a negative charge on the surface of WC. The pH-dependent adsorption of pesticides by black carbon may significantly influence their environmental fate in soils.     

Adsorption of benzoic acid onto high specific area activated carbon cloth

The adsorption of benzoic acid from aqueous solution onto high area carbon cloth at different pH values has been studied. Over a period of 125 min the adsorption process was found to follow a first-order kinetics and the rate constants were determined for the adsorption of benzoic acid at pH 2.0, 3.7, 5.3, 9.1, and 11.0. The extents of adsorption and the percentage coverage of carbon cloth surfaces were calculated at 125 min of adsorption. Adsorption isotherms at pH values of 2.0, 3.7, and 11.0 were derived at 25 degrees C. Isotherm data were treated according to Langmuir and Freundlich equations and the parameters of these equations were evaluated by regression analysis. The fit of experimental isotherm data to both equations was good. It was found that both the adsorption rate and the extent of adsorption at 125 min were the highest at pH 3.7 and decreased at higher or lower pH values. The types of interactions governing in the adsorption processes are discussed considering the surface charge and the dissociation of benzoic acid at different pH values.     

NIR spectroscopic study of the dissolution process in pharmaceutical tablets

In this study, water penetration and the interaction between water and a pharmaceutical excipient in a tablet were investigated using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and perturbation-correlation moving-window two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (PCMW-2DCS). The penetration rate of water into a tablet was mainly dependent on the porosity of the tablet and was less dependent on the type of excipient. This behavior was well described by the Lucas–Washburn theory. The PCMW-2DCS technique revealed that there are two-staged interaction changes in NIR spectra of the water–powder interactions. The first and second changes corresponded to the water–solid interaction and the dissolution of the solid, respectively. The diffusion-controlled dissolution model by Nernst well explained these results.     

Activated carbon blended with grape stalks powder: Properties modification and its application in a dye adsorption

In this study, activated carbon was blended with grape stalks powder to adsorb methylene blue (MB) dye with various concentrations from a wastewater. For this purpose, five independent variables involving pH (2–13), contact time (5–270 min), grape stalks powder dosage (0.1–10 g/l), methylene blue initial concentration (20–300 mg/l), and activated carbon dosage (0.1–10 g/l) for methylene blue adsorption were studied. The Central Composite Design (CCD) under Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to estimate the independent variables effects on the methylene blue adsorption. The pseudo- first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models were employed to study the adsorption kinetics and isotherm. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models were applied to investigate the adsorption isotherm. It was concluded that the intraparticle diffusion isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic models could show the best results. Furthermore, some data such as physical adsorption (by analyzing FTR and applying some standard equations) and mean free energy (E) were discovered in this research. Finally, activated carbon blended with grape stalks powder as an effective bio-adsorbent for the methylene blue reduction from a wastewater was introduced.     

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

The hydration behavior and expansion properties of untreated and pulverized creatine anhydrate (CRA) tablets were studied under 60 and 75%RH at 25 degrees C by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The tablet hardness of untreated and pulverized CRA tablets was significantly decreased after hydration. There was a linear relationship between the degree of hydration and the tablet hardness of untreated CRA tablets compressed at 1000 kg/cm2. In contrast, the relationship between the degree of hydration and the tablet hardness of pulverized CRA tablets was nonlinear. These results suggest that the reduction in hardness of pulverized CRA tablets does not depend solely on the hydration level of crystal water. PXRD analysis indicated that the diffraction pattern of the pulverized CRA powder was similar to that of the untreated CRA powder. However, the diffraction intensity of the pulverized CRA powder was slightly lower than that of the untreated CRA powder at high angle. The micropore radius of both untreated and pulverized CRA tablets was significantly increased after hydration, but analysis of the relationship between micropore radius and fractional hydration of crystal water showed that untreated CRA tablets were more affected than pulverized CRA tablets. Therefore, the reduction in tablet hardness depends not only on the hydration behavior but also on the crystal orientation of the CRA powder.     

A sol-gel derived pH-responsive bovine serum albumin molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquids) on the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes

A pH-responsive surface molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquids) (MIPILs) was prepared on the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by a sol-gel technique. The material was synthesized using a 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane modified multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT-APTES) as the substrate, bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the template molecule, an alkoxy-functionalized IL 1-(3-trimethoxysilyl propyl)-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([TMSPMIM]Cl) as both the functional monomer and the sol-gel catalyst, and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the crosslinking agent. The molecular interaction between BSA and [TMSPMIM]Cl was quantitatively evaluated by UV–vis spectroscopy prior to polymerization so as to identify an optimal template/monomer ratio and the most suitable pH value for the preparation of the MWCNTs@BSA-MIPILs. This strategy was found to be effective to overcome the problems of trial-and-error protocol in molecular imprinting. The optimum synthesis conditions were as follows: template/monomer ratio 7:20, crosslinking agent content 2.0–2.5 mL, temperature 4 °C and pH 8.9 Tris–HCl buffer. The influence of incubation pH on adsorption was also studied. The result showed that the imprinting effect and selectivity improved significantly with increasing incubation pH from 7.7 to 9.9. This is mainly because the non-specific binding from electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions decreased greatly with the increase of pH value, which made the specific binding affinity from shape selectivity strengthened instead. The polymers synthesized under the optimal conditions were then characterized by BET surface area measurement, FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adsorption capacity, imprinting effect, selective recognition and reusability were also evaluated. The as-prepared MWCNTs@BSA-MIPILs were also found to have a number of advantages including high surface area (134.2 m² g⁻¹), high adsorption capacity (55.52 mg g⁻¹), excellent imprinting effect (imprinting factor of up to 5.84), strong selectivity (selectivity factor of 2.61 and 5.63 for human serum albumin and bovine hemoglobin, respectively), and good reusability.     

Release and extraction of letrozole in blood plasma using resorcinol functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography

In this research, carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotube was functionalized by cyanuric chloride and modified by 1,3 dihydroxybenzene (MWCNT-resorcinol). MWCNT-resorcinol was used as an adsorbent for extraction and determination of letrozole in human blood plasma prior to high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV). Synthesized carbon nanotubes were modified and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The efficiency of the adsorbent for adsorption and release of letrozole in the blood plasma was evaluated at the optimized condition. An adsorption efficiency of 96.9% was achieved at pH of 4 and the extraction time of 20?min. A recovery percentage of 92.7% for the drug in plasma was also obtained. Lastly, the release efficiency values for letrozole from MWCNTs-resorcinol in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4) were calculated as 91% and 70%, respectively. Such results enhanced the potential ability of the MWCNTs-resorcinol as a drug delivery substrate.     

Functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by pyrene-labeled hydroxypropyl cellulose

Pyrene-labeled hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC-Py) was synthesized through a condensation reaction between hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and 1-pyrenebutyric acid (Py). A hybrid (HPC/MWNTs) of the HPC-Py and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was prepared through a noncovalent method. Temperature-variable UV-vis spectra indicated that the HPC-Py had a lower critical solution temperature of about 44 degrees C in water. (1)H NMR, UV-vis, Raman, and fluorescence spectra were used to systematically investigate the pi-pi stacking interaction between the HPC-Py and MWNTs. Dispersion experiments showed the HPC/MWNTs hybrids could be well dispersed in water and many organic solvents.     

On uranium(VI) adsorption on activated carbon

The uranium adsorption on activated carbon from dilute solutions was studied as a function of pH, uranium concentration and ageing time. Optimum conditions for quantitative adsorption of uranium from water solutions were determined: uranium concentration 2.5.10⁻⁴ g/l or less; adsorption must be carried out in fresh prepared solutions with ageing time not more than one hour; pH 7.5–8.5; time for achieving the adsorption equilibrium not less than 20 min. The instrumental neutron activation method was used for the uranium analysis.     

Recognition of active ingredients in tablets by chemometric processing of X-ray diffractometric data

The paper presents an approach to use Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) on X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) dataset to build a model which recognizes a presence (or absence) of particular drug substance (acetaminophen) in unknown mixture (OTC tablet). The dataset consisted of 33 XRPD signals, measured for 12 pure substances and 21 tablets containing them in different quantitative and qualitative ratios, along with unknown excipients. The model was built with an external validation dataset chosen by Kennard-Stone algorithm. The RMSECV value was equal to 0.3461 (87.8% of explained variance) and external predictive error (RMSEP) was equal to 0.3123 (86.2% of explained variance). The result suggests that small but properly prepared training datasets give ability to construct well-working discriminant models on XRPD signals.     

Investigation of water mobility and diffusivity in hydrating micronized low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose,hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose,and hydroxypropyl cellulose matrix tablets by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

The water mobility and diffusivity in the gel-layer of hydrating low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (LH41) tablets with or without a drug were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and compared with those properties in the gel-layer of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) tablets. For this purpose, a localized image-analysis method was newly developed, and the spin-spin relaxation time (T(2)) and apparent self-diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water in the gel-layer were visualized in one-dimensional maps. Those maps showed that the extent of gel-layer growth in the tablets was in the order of HPC>HPMC>LH41, and there was a water mobility gradient across the gel-layers of all three tablet formulations. The T(2) and ADC in the outer parts of the gel-layers were close to those of free water. In contrast, these values in the inner parts of the gel-layer decreased progressively; suggesting that the water mobility and diffusivity around the core interface were highly restricted. Furthermore, the correlation between the T(2) of (1)H proton in the gel-layer of the tablets and the drug release rate from the tablets was observed.     

Determination of chlorthalidone and clonidine hydrochloride in tablets by HPLC

A rapid, reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of chlorthalidone and clonidine hydrochloride combinations in tablets. Individual tablets or composite samples were sonicated in water, diluted with methanol, and filtered prior to chromatographing. Chlorthalidone, formulated at 15 mg/tablet, was chromatographed on octadecylsilyl-bonded, 5 to 6-micrometers, spherical silica with 50% methanol in water mobile phase. Clonidine hydrochloride, formulated at 0.1 or 0.2 mg/tablet, was chromatographed on trimethylsilyl-bonded, 5 to 6-micrometers, spherical silica with 65% methanol in pH 7.9 phosphate buffer mobile phase. Both were determined with a spectrophotometric detector at 254 nm. Mean recoveries of the drugs from six synthetic tablet samples were 100.3% for chlorthalidone and 99.7% for clonidine hydrochloride (at 0.1 mg/tablet level) with coefficients of variation of 0.79 and 1.55%, respectively.     

Effects of pH and phosphate on the adsorptive fractionation of purified Aldrich humic acid on kaolinite and hematite

The molecular weight (MW) fractionation of purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) resulting from adsorption on kaolinite and hematite was investigated for different solution pH and phosphate conditions. Adsorption was highly pH-dependent, with higher uptake at lower pH values. For all pH conditions, the weight-average MW (MWw) of residual PAHA remaining in solution after adsorption deviated from the original MWw, indicating that preferential adsorption of certain MW components occurred. The extent of preferential adsorption depended on the percent carbon adsorption at a given pH condition. For similar percent carbon adsorption ranges, a greater extent of preferential adsorption of the higher MW PAHA components was observed with higher pH values as demonstrated by the lowest residual MWw value occurring at pH 9. Detailed analyses of selected residual PAHA samples clearly showed that adsorption selectivity for particular MW components was strongly influenced by solution pH. The extent of preferential adsorption of lower MW PAHA components decreased in the presence of a small amount of phosphate. This effect was more evident for hematite than kaolinite, and became greater with lower solution pH irrespective of the mineral type. The different fractionation patterns observed for PAHA were reasonably well explained by the physicochemical trends occurring in its MWw fractions and the underlying sorption processes.     

碳纳米管对结晶紫的吸附研究

研究了碳纳米管对溶液中结晶紫的吸附性能,考察了溶液浓度、溶液p H、吸附时间和吸附温度等因素对吸附行为的影响,初步探讨了碳纳米管对结晶紫的吸附机理。结果表明,碳纳米管对结晶紫的吸附量随着溶液初始浓度的增大而升高;酸性条件有利于吸附的进行,最佳p H等于5;对结晶紫的吸附在3h达到平衡,吸附速率常数为779.76h-1;温度的变化对结晶紫的吸附量影响不大。通过Langmuir方程和Freundlich方程对吸附进行拟合,平衡吸附量Qe与平衡质量浓度Ce之间的关系符合Freundlich等温吸附方程所描述的规律,说明吸附过程以物理吸附为主。