ABSTRACT
Objective: To optimize the prescription and preparation process of "Hugan I" Orally Disintegrating Tablets, and investigate its efficacy against acute liver injury in mice. Methods: Single factor method was used for disintegrants, lubricants, and fillers screening. Taking the appearance, hardness, friability and disintegration time of the tablets as the comprehensive evaluation index, the dosage of disintegrant, micro-silica gel and magnesium stearate was selected as the investigation factor. The Box-Behnken response surface method was used to optimize the orally disintegrating tablets. Acetaminophen (APAP, 500 mg/kg) was used to replicate acute liver injury model by one-time high-dose intragastric administration to investigate the effects of orally disintegrating tablets on the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum, the content of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and morphological changes in liver tissue. Results: The optimal prescription was as following: dry paste powder 22.00%, microcrystalline cellulose 18.00%, sorbitol 20.00%, mannitol 16.00%, Aspartame 0.50%, citric acid 0.50%, disintegration agent L-HPC 20.00%, micro-powder silica gel 2.50% and magnesium stearate 0.50%. The hardness of the orally disintegrating tablets was 4-7 kg, the mean disintegration time was about 50 s, and the mean friability was around 0.85%. Compared with the model group, there were significant differences (P < 0.01) in Biphenyl diester control group, "Hugan I" Decoction group and "Hugan I" Orally Disintegrating Tablets group, and the levels of ALT and AST in the serum of the mice were significantly decreased, The content of MDA in the liver tissue was decreased, which improved the damage of APAP to liver tissue. Conclusion: The formulation of the "Hugan I" Orally Disintegrating Tablet is feasible and easy to operate, which achieves the same effect with "Hugan I" Decoction that effectively prevent liver damage caused by acetaminophen with no significant differences.