Origin, development, and modern application value of Chinese herbal lozenges / 中国中药杂志

Lozenge is one of the traditional dosage forms of Chinese medicine. It has been recorded in traditional Chinese medical classics of all dynasties since the Eastern Han Dynasty and has been developing and evolving continuously. The unique pharmaceutical methods and application scope are the driving force of its emergence, existence, and development. Up to now, lozenge has been included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as an independent dosage form. Lozenge has been endowed with new meaning by modern Chinese medicine pharmaceutics, which is worth tracing origin and exploring value. The present study reviewed the origin and development of lozenge, compared lozenge with other similar dosage forms, analyzed the characteristics of modern and ancient dosage forms of lozenge, and discussed the development prospect and potential of lozenge in combination with the demand development of modern Chinese medicine preparation, so as to provide references for expanding the modern application of lozenge.

Predictive value of serum initial brain natriuretic peptide and troponin on functional prognosis in noncardiogenic patients with anterior and posterior circulation cerebral infarction / Valor preditivo dos níveis séricos iniciais do peptídeo natriurético cerebral e da troponina no prognóstico funcional em pacientes não cardiogênicos com acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico de circulação anterior e posterior

Abstract Background Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and troponin have a close relationship with cardiogenic cerebral embolism (CCE), but their relationship with noncardiogenic patients with anterior circulation ischemia (ACI) and posterior circulation ischemia (PCI) is not clear. Objective To explore the predictive value of serum initial BNP and troponin on the functional prognosis of patients with noncardiogenic ACI and PCI. Methods Consecutive patients with first-episode cerebral infarction within 12 hours of symptom onset were enrolled in the present 1-year prospective cohort study. Serum levels of BNP and troponin were collected within 12 hours of onset. Infarction location was classified as ACI and PCI by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). According to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days after onset, ACI and PCI cases were respectively divided into a good prognosis group (mRS score between 0 and 2) and a poor prognosis group (mRS score between 3 and 6). The general state of health and results of laboratory examinations and other auxiliary examinations of all patients were recorded. Single-factor analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to assess the relationship between serum levels of BNP, troponin, and functional outcome. Results The multivariate logistic regression found that higher levels of initial BNP (odds ratio [OR] = 1.024; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.006-1.041; p = 0.007) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1.184; 95%CI: 1.024-1.369; p = 0.022) were independent predictors of poor functional prognosis of noncardiogenic PCI at 90 days after onset after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, history of hypertension and of diabetes. Conclusions The levels of initial BNP and CRP were related to poor functional outcomes in noncardiogenic PCI patients at 3 months, independent of troponin.

Resumo Antecedentes O peptídeo natriurético cerebral (BNP, na sigla em inglês) e a troponina estão intimamente relacionados com a embolia cerebral cardiogênica (CCE, na sigla em inglês), mas a relação com pacientes não cardioembólicos com isquemia de circulação anterior (ICA) e isquemia de circulação posterior (ICP) não é clara. Objetivo Investigar o valor preditivo dos níveis séricos iniciais do BNP e da troponina no prognóstico de pacientes com AVC isquêmico não cardiogênico. Métodos Os níveis séricos de BNP e de troponina foram recolhidos de pacientes com primeiro episódio de acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) isquêmico dentro de 12 horas após o início dos sintomas, com localização classificada como ICA e ICP de acordo com exame de ressonância magnética (RM). De acordo com a pontuação modificada da escala de Rankin (mRS), aos 90 dias após o início dos sintomas, ICA e ICP foram divididas respectivamente em um grupo de bom prognóstico (mRS entre 0 e2) e em um grupo de mau prognóstico (mRS entre 3 e 6). Foram registrados exames laboratoriais e outros exames complementares de todos os pacientes. Foram utilizadas análise fatorial única e análise de regressão logística multivariada para investigar a relação entre os níveis séricos de BNP e de troponina e o resultado funcional. Resultados A regressão logística multivariada evidenciou que os níveis mais altos de BNP inicial (odds ratio [OR] = 1,024, intervalo de confiança [IC] de 95%: 1,006-1,041; p = 0,007) e proteína C reativa (CRP, na sigla em inglês) (OR = 1,184; 95%CI: 1,024-1,369; p = 0,022) foram preditores independentes de mau prognóstico funcional da ICP não cardiogênica aos 90 dias após o início dos sintomas. Conclusões Os níveis iniciais de BNP e CRP se associaram a maus resultados funcionais em pacientes com ICP não cardiogênica aos três meses, independentemente da troponina.

Quality value transmitting of volatile components in personalized preparations:a case study of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba / 中国中药杂志

Considering the characteristic chromatograms and quality value transmitting of three volatile components, this study investigated the changes in volatile components of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba in each heating process of personalized preparations and identified the critical control points for the application of volatile components from traditional Chinese medicine in such preparations. The characteristic chromatograms of volatile components in Menthae Haplocalycis Herba were established by gas chromatography, followed by the quantitative determination of three volatile components menthone, menthol, and piperitone and the comparison of retention rates of volatile components during the crushing, extraction, concentration and drying of preparation products and their change rules in characteristic peaks. The results showed that the volatile components of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba were reduced in each process. The loss rate was low in the crushing process when the volatile component peaks were present, but high in the extraction and concentration processes, manifested as the absence of partial component peaks and the presence of new component peaks. The changes in volatile components of Chuanxiong Chatiao Granule in the drying process were compared with those in Chuanxiong Chatiao Pill, both of which were prepared from the raw Menthae Haplocalycis Herba powder, and the findings demonstrated that Chuanxiong Chatiao Pill was superior to Chuanxiong Chatiao Granule. This study confirmed that the retention rates of volatile components in Menthae Haplocalycis Herba were mostly affected by the extraction and concentration processes, and the packing of preparations helped to reduce the loss of volatile components in Menthae Haplocalycis Herba powder, which has provided reference for the application of Chinese medicinal materials containing volatile components in the personalized preparations.

Preparation of personalized traditional Chinese medicine condensed water pill without excipients based on correlation between concentrate viscosity and molding quality / 中国中药杂志

To explore the correlation between concentrate viscosity and molding quality of personalized traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) condensed water pill, this study established a concentrate viscosity characterization method with rotational rheometry. Seven model prescriptions were respectively concentrated to different degrees and the viscosity of each concentrate was determined. The pre-sence of 'viscosity jump' in the middle stage of 'flag hanging' of all the model prescriptions implied that there might be an ideal viscosity range in the preparation of condensed water pill. The further study of 22 model prescriptions demonstrated that the optimum viscosity range of concentrate was 5-15 Pa·s(25 ℃) for approximately 82% of the prescriptions. About 18% of the prescriptions had a wide range, which might be caused by the high proportions of mineral and crustacean drugs in the crushing part and sugar and fibrous drugs in the decocting part. This study clarified the optimum viscosity range for concentrates of personalized TCM condensed water pills and achieved a preparation technology without any excipient, laying a foundation for the on-line control of the preparation.

Establishment of prediction model for personalized water-paste pills based on classification of traditional Chinese medicine materials / 中国中药杂志

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship of the classification of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) materials with the suitable binder concentration and dosage in the preparation of personalized water-paste pills and establish a model for predicting the binder concentration and dosage. Five representative TCM materials were selected, followed by mixture uniform design. The water-paste pills were prepared by extrusion and spheronization with hypromellose E5(HPMC E5) as the binder. The quality of intermediates and final products was evaluated, and the resulting data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. The prediction models for binder concentration and dosage were established as follows: binder concentration: Y_1=0.378 6 + 0.570 1X_A + 2.271 2X_B-0.894 5X_C-0.458 2X_D-1.145 4X_E(when Y_1 < 0, 10% HPMC E5 was required; when Y_1 > 0, 20% HPMC E5 was required), with the accuracy reaching up to 100%; binder dosage: Y_2=32.38 + 0.25X_A + 1.85X_B-0.013X_B~2-0.002 5X_C~2(R~2=0.932 6, P < 0.001). The results showed that the binder concentration and dosage were correlated positively with the proportion of fiber material but negatively with the proportions of sugar material and brittle material. Then the validation experiments were conducted with the prediction models and all the prescriptions could be successfully prepared at one time. These demonstrated that following the classification of TCM materials and the calculation of their proportions in the prescription, the established mathematical model could be adopted for predicting the binder concentration and dosage required in the preparation of personalized water-paste pills, which contributed to reducing the pre-formulation research and guiding the actual production of personalized water-paste pills.

Characteristics and development assumptions of personalized traditional Chinese medicine granules / 中国中药杂志

Personalized traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) granules are positioned as a solid dosage form of TCM decoctions, boasting strong applicability and wide application range. The market prospect of personalized TCM granules is promising in that their preparation by mixed decoction makes up for the shortcoming of formula granules like the Chinese patent medicine granules and classical TCM prescription granules whose components cannot be changed flexibly. However, such factors as insufficient basic research, equipment mismatch, and low process commonality have limited their clinical application. After analyzing the characteristics of perso-nalized TCM granules, their production status, and the bottlenecks restricting their development, this paper pointed out the meaning and key points of developing a generalized preparation process for personalized TCM granules and affirmed the vital roles of the preparation and process prediction system and the on-line detection technology in improving the productivity of granulation. Finally, some assumptions on technology development for solving the specific problems of personalized TCM granules were shared to provide some ideas for the application and development of personalized TCM granules in clinical practice.

Application,problems,and development strategies of personalized traditional Chinese medicine preparations / 中国中药杂志

With the continuous improvement of people's living standards and the greatly accelerated pace of life, patients' requirements for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) pharmaceutical care are constantly raised, and personalized TCM preparations used are increasing year by year. However, a series of problems, such as the bottleneck of preparation technology, the lack of preparation specifications, and the weak legal basis for supervision, have become prominent, leading to the uneven product quality of personalized pre-parations. This paper systematically summarized and analyzed the current situation and existing problems of personalized TCM preparations, including dosage form application, preparation technology, production equipment, quality standard, clinical application, and administration mode. Additionally, it put forward an inheritance and innovation research mode of personalized TCM preparation technology based on the physical fingerprint of raw materials and innovation research and intellectual property protection mode of "research-patent-technology-equipment-standard". Furthermore, innovative development strategies were proposed, such as the production standard system of clinical preparations based on the whole process traceability and the regional processing service mode of clinical preparations based on industry 4.0. The present study is expected to provide beneficial references for the inheritance and innovation development of personalized TCM preparations.

Exploratory study on preparation of high drug loading granules with traditional Chinese medicine raw powder as carriers / 中国中药杂志

With Sangtang Yin granule as model drug,and based on the strategy of " unification of medicines and excipients",the feasibility of preparing high drug loading granules with traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) raw powder as carrier was explored. The powder yield,particle size and particle size distribution,fillibility,flowability,hygroscopicity,reconstituability and other key physical properties relating to preparations of 8 herbs( Dioscoreae Rhizoma,Euryales Semen,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Coicis semen,Poria,Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Puerariae Thomsonii Radix and Coicis Semen by stir-frying with bran) were studied after being smashed,and the feasibility of taking them as excipients of TCM granules was evaluated by co-spray drying,dry granulation and other preparation techniques. According to the results of the physical properties of raw powders,raw powders of Dioscoreae Rhizoma,Euryales Semen and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix had a high powder yield,uniform particle size distribution,good fillibility,poor hygroscopicity and good reconstitutability,with the feature of assisting granule forming. Compared with the prescription of spray dry powder Sangtang Yin without any excipient,the co-sprayed powder had a high yield,good fillibility and compressibility. The yield of dry granules prepared by co-spraying dry powder was increased by more than 10%,and the particles had a uniform color,good fluidity and dissolubility with the drug-loading rate up to 100%. Based on the physical characteristics of TCM raw powder combined with the analysis of the preparation process,Dioscoreae Rhizoma and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix raw powder were selected as the carriers of granule preparations,and Sangtang Yin granule without any excipient was successfully prepared. The findings provide a feasible idea for the preparation of TCM granules with a high drug loading capacity.

Improving compactibility properties of Lonicera Japonica Flos by Plasdone S-630 / 药学学报

To improve the fluidity and compactibility properties of raw powders of traditional Chinese medicine by particle modification technology, Lonicera Japonica Flos was used as a model drug, fluidized bed bottom spray technology was used, and Plasdone S-630 was used as a modifier to prepare modified particles. The powder properties, tablet compactibility parameters, disintegration time and dissolution were measured. The surface morphology of the powder particles before and after modification and compressed tablets were characterized by combining with scanning electron microscopy technology. The results showed that the particle size of Lonicera Japonica powder has been increased after particle modification, the fluidity, compressibility and compactibility of the powder have been improved to some extent, the disintegration time has also been reduced, and the dissolution in vitro is not affected. Therefore, this study can provide reference and ideas for the common problem that raw powder of traditional Chinese medicine that cannot meet the needs of preparation production due to poor powder properties such as fluidity and compressibility.

Preparation, characterization and in vitro release of berberine hydrochloride resin complex / 药学学报

The object of this study is to preparate the berberine hydrochloride (BBH) resin compound with taste masking effect. We took the BBH as the model drug and Amberlite IRP69 as the drug carriers, uncovered the curve of solubility of BBH in different cosolvent with a certain range of temperature, and then used it to calculate the parameters during the preparation of the complex such as adding quantity of BBH and the reaction temperature. Afterwards, the characteristic and in vitro release experiments were studied to verify the formation and predict the in vivo release behavior of the complex. The results showed that in the condition of using 60% ethanol as a cosolvent and stirring at 50 ℃ for 1 h, the drug loading and drug availability of the complex are at about 35% and 64%, respectively, and has a better taste-masking effect. In this study, a method was provided for preparing a taste-masking preparation of BBH.

Physiochemical property variation in traditional Chinese medicine decoction before or after precipitation in alcohol and its relationship with wall stickiness in spray drying / 中国中药杂志

To explore the relationship between the variations of the physiochemical properties of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction before or after precipitation in alcohol and the wall stickiness in spray drying. In this study, widely used TCMs in clinic were selected to determine the physiochemical properties of TCM decoction before or after precipitation in alcohol separately.Afterwards, the principle component analysis(PCA),Hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA),and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminate analysis(OPLS-DA) were used to evaluate the relationship between the variations of those liquid before or after precipitation in alcohol and hot-melt stickiness in spray drying.Three types of statistical analysis methods all indicated that ethanol precipitation affected physiochemical properties of TCM decoction, and the variations of physical properties showed significant association with hot-melt stickiness in spray drying.The results of PCA-X and HCA suggested that the dynamic surface tension(DST) was impacted most by the alcohol deposition treatment,at the same time,the other 5 physiochemical properties were also affected.OPLS-DA verified that PCA-X and HCA results, and revealed that DST,equilibrium surface tension(EST) and pH were significantly affected by alcohol deposition treatment,and the order of the affecting factors from high to low was DST,EST and pH.Therefore,the downward trend of DST and pH were the important factors that directly affected the hot-melt stickiness of TCM after precipitation in alcohol,which would be probably caused by losing macromolecules alcoholic insoluble components and increasing relative proportions of organic acid and small molecule sugar.

Association of the behaviors of playing mahjong and watching mobile phone with depression in rural women in Hubei Province / 中华疾病控制杂志

Objective To analyze the association of the behaviors of playing mahjong and watching mobile phone with depression in rural women in Hubei Province, so as to provide suggestions for improving their physical and mental health. Methods A stratified cluster sampling method was used to investigate 1367 adult women in 8 administrative villages of 7 counties/cities in Hubei Province. The depression status was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10) and the percentage conversion was carried out. The higher the score was, the lower the degree of depression was, and the better the mental health status was. Results The CESD-10 scores of 15-44 years old women（77.63±13.95)were higher than those of 45-64 years old (73.17+17.01) and over 65 years old (69.25+18.16) (P0.05). Conclusions There is a correlation between watching mobile phone and depression of rural women in Hubei Province, reducing the use of mobile phones by rural women, especially middle-aged women, is worthy of attention in the future work of health education and Women’s Federation.

Identification and analysis of the R2R3-MYB transcription factor based on a transcriptome database in Morinda officinalis / 药学学报

In order to explore MYB transcription factors related to developmental processes and secondary metabolism in Morinda officinalis, we analyzed MoMYB expression based on transcriptome data from three tissues (root, stem and leaf). We used this analysis to provide a theoretical foundation for regulating the metabolism of M. officinalis. RNA-seq data along with the five databases including PFAM and plantTFDB and others were used to screen and classify MoMYB, including GO functional annotation and classification, subcellular localization, signal peptide prediction, conserved motif discovery, and comparative phylogenetic analysis. RT-qPCR was carried out to detect tissue-specific expression differences of MoMYB genes. According to transcriptome data, 109 MoMYB sequences were identified and divided into four classes, containing 51 sequences related to R2R3-MYB. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that a majority of sequences were located in nucleus. Blast2GO analysis showed that 109 MoMYB sequences were classified into three major functional ontologies including molecular function (112), biological processes (76) and cellular components (239). The R2-MYB conserved motif of 51 R2R3-MYB sequences possessed three significantly conserved tryptophan residues, whereas a phenylalanine replaced the first tryptophan in R3-MYB. The results of multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the R2R3-MYB was distributed in all subgroups, apart from the S10, S19 and S21 subgroups. RT-qPCR indicated that several R2R3-MYB genes were differentially expressed among the three tissues, and this finding was consistent with transcriptome data. The 109 MoMYB sequences were annotated and divided into different classes, which lays the foundation for further study on MYB transcriptional factors in M. officinalis.

Selection of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR in Morinda officinalis / 中草药

Objective: To select the appropriate reference genes for calibrating the quantitative real-time PCR detection of gene expression in different tissues and leaves with different treatments of Morinda officinalis. Methods: With different groups and different processing leaves of M. officinalis as materials, 10 internal genes, including GAPDH, CYP, TUA, Actin and so on, were selected as candidate genes according to the M. officinalis transcriptome data. The expression stability of internal reference genes was analyzed by using real-time fluorescence quantification technique combined with software such as geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper, so as to select stable reference genes in different tissues and leaves of M. officinalis with different treatments. Finally, appropriate internal reference genes were selected to analyze the relative expression levels of DXS and DXR genes in different tissues and leaves with different treatments. Results: Internal reference genes GAPDH and UBQ were the most stable in different tissues of M. officinalis, the double internal reference combination of GAPDH + UBQ can more accurately analyze the relative expression levels of target genes in different tissues of M. officinalis, while the most stable reference genes in leaves with different treatments were GAPDH and Actin; The selection of the double reference combination of GAPDH + Actin can ensure the reliability of the target gene expression results. In different tissues of M. officinalis, the relative expression of DXS target gene was in sequence of root < stem < leaf, while the relative expression of DXR was stem < root < leaf. The relative expression levels of DXS and DXR genes in leaves with different treatments were increased compared with those untreated leaves (CK). Conclusion: The selected stable internal reference genes lay a foundation for the subsequent study on the expression of related genes of M. officinalis. Using the combination of two stable internal references to homogenize the target genes is conducive to improving the accuracy of the analysis of the expression of target genes.

Cloning and analysis of the DXR gene and its promoter in Morinda officinalis / 药学学报

The objective of this research was to clone 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase gene (MoDXR) and its promoter sequence from Morinda officinalis and carry out bioinformatic analysis, cis-acting elements analysis, and prokaryotic expression. On the basis of the MoDXR gene sequence obtained from the M. officinalis transcriptome and with NCBI-ORFfinder analysis, a pair of specific primers were designed, and used for RT-PCR amplification. The promoter region sequence at the 5′ end of MoDXR gene was isolated by the genome walking technique. Localization of MoDXR was carried out by subcellular analysis. The prokaryotic expression plasmid pET-28a-MoDXR was constructed and transfected into Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) chemically-competent cells; the recombiant plasmid expressed fusion protein after the induction by IPTG. The full-length cDNA of MoDXR was 2 015 bp,and open reading frame (ORF) size was 1 425 bp, and it encoded 474 amino acid residues and had a molecular mass of 51.27 kD. Sequence comparison with BlastP to the NCBI database revealed that MoDXR had high sequence similarity with many other DXRs, such as Coffea arabica DXR (CaDXR) and Rauvolfia verticillata DXR (RvDXR). A phylogenetic tree revealed that MoDXR had its closest relationship with DXR from Coffea arabica and Gardenia jasminoides. The subcellular localization revealed that MoDXR protein was located on the chloroplast. Plantcare analysis indicated that the promoter region sequence of MoDXR was 1 493 bp, covering multiple light, stress, and hormone-responsive cis-regulatory elements; protein electrophoresis showed that the expressed protein was the anticipated size. This research lays the foundation for further purification and structural and functional characterization of the MoDXR protein.

Mechanism of lentivirus mediated flot1 gene expression on invasion and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate inhibitory effect of FLOT1 gene expression on invasion and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. METHODS: The designed FLOT1 siRNA lentiviral vector (si-FLOT1 group) was transfected into human gastric cancer MKN-45 cells, at the same time, the negative control lentivirus vector (negative group) was transfected, and the blank group was set up. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of FLOT1, E-cadherin, α-SMA, cleaved caspase 3, Bcl-2 and Bax proteins. After cells were transfected for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. After cells were transfected for 48 h, transwell chamber, flow cytometry and DCFH-DA assay were used to detect the invasiveness, apoptosis rate and ROS content, respectively. RESULTS: FLOT1 siRNA lentiviral vector inhibited significantly the expression of FLOT1 in MKN-45 cells, which was significantly different from the blank group (P<0.05). Compared with si-FLOT1 group and the blank group, the cell vitality decreased, the invasion ability decreased, the apoptosis rate increased, the expression of E-cadherin, cleaved caspase 3 and Bax protein increased, the expression of α-SMA and Bcl-2 protein decreased, and the content of ROS increased, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Down regulation of FLOT1 gene expression can reduce the invasiveness of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting EMT, and promote apoptosis by regulating the expression of apoptosis related proteins and increasing the ROS content of cells.

Application Status of Properties of Surface and Interface in Research on Pharmaceutical Preparations / 中国实验方剂学杂志

The surface and interface,as the transition region between two phases,belongs to the category of physical chemistry.At present,it is widely used in materials and other scientific fields.Meanwhile,this property also plays an important role in pharmaceutical research.The interface layer involved in the progress of pharmaceutical preparations is connected with the two-phase or three-phase between gas,liquid and solid closely.The interface effect will affect the final shaping of pharmaceutical preparations and the dissolution and absorption of drugs in the human body.In this paper,the surface and interface characteristics(specific surface area,surfacial and interfacial tension and surface Gibbs free energy) were compared,and the application of interface phenomena(wetting,solubilization and emulsification) in pharmaceutical research were introduced.From the points of view of the progress control of pharmaceutical preparations and the effectiveness of their products,the article expounds the important role of properties of surface and interface in the field of pharmaceutical preparations.Therefore,it is necessary to pay attention to the properties of surface and interface,one of the key physical properties of drugs,and to apply them in the pharmaceutical research.

Correlation between chemical compositions of traditional Chinese medicine extracts and phenomenon of wall stickiness in spray drying / 中国中药杂志

To explore the correlation between chemical compositions (organic acids, small molecule sugars, protein and others) of traditional Chinese medicine extracts and the wall stickiness in spray drying. In this study, 55 types of most common used Chinese herbs were selected to determine the content of 7 chemical components such as citric acid and fructose from plant extraction. The status of wall stickiness was observed during the drying process. The principle component analysis (PCA-X), hierarchical clustering analysis(HCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were then used to evaluate the correlation between each chemical compositions and wall stickiness, so as to look for the essential chemical compositions associated with the wall stickiness. All of the above 3 statistical analysis methods showed significant results in distinguishing the two groups (sticky or non-sticky). PCA-X score chart and HCA clustering scatter plot suggested that the small molecular substance was the main factor causing wall stickiness, which was then proved by the reality where some of the traditional herb extracts were in non-sticky state after drying but in sticky state after alcohol precipitation. OPLS-DA results revealed that L-malic acid, citric acid, fructose and glucose were the difference factors for the wall stickiness of the extracts. Under small molecular components, L-malic acid, citric acid, fructose and glucose were the crucial factors that directly led to the hot melt sticky wall of the herbal extracts, and macromolecular substances might ameliorate the function of wall stickiness.

A new device for determination of adhesive force and its application in predicting hot-melt sticking in spray drying of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

A new device was designed to measure adhesive force and predict whether traditional Chinese medicine extracts would appear hot-melt sticking in spray drying process．Based on the physical property tester as fundamental test platform, the device was fixed with a camera, a temperature and humidity sensor probe and a set of equipment for hot air. This device could simulate the dry environment of spray dryer and analyze the variables of testing solutions' adhesiveness against drying time. To establish and validate a model of predicting hot-melt sticking in spray drying, data was collected by using data mining. The results of this study proved that the device could be used to predict the hot-melt sticking in spray drying based on the adhesive force of materials (testing solutions). In addition, the study also found that the adhesiveness of the hot-melt sticking materials gradually increased with the evaporation of water, while that of non-sticking materials first increased and then rapidly decreased.

Analysis of the effect of moisture adsorption on the compressibility of extracts of Puerariae Lobatae Radix by dynamic vapor sorption / 药学学报

With the extracts of Puerariae Lobatae Radix as the research object, the moisture absorption isotherm at 298, 308 and 318 K was determined through dynamic water vapor adsorption. Moisture absorption isotherm models were applied to the simulation of moisture absorption behavior. The enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy for moisture adsorption were calculated according to the model and the enthalpy-entropy compensation was used to analysis moisture adsorption process. It was shown that the adsorption isotherm coincided with GAB model or Ferro-Fontan model. Moisture absorption process was an exothermic process which was driven by entropy. The effect of moisture on compressibility was evaluated through tensile strength and elastic recovery with water content, pressure force and speed variation. It was supposed that right amount of moisture was required to compression and compaction.