RESUMO
Objective To study the influence of different drying technology on the micromeritic properties of Salvia miltiorrhiza extract powder. Methods Taking S. miltiorrhiza extract as model drug, three kinds of extract powders were obtained by vacuum drying, vacuum microwave drying, and spray drying. The properties of powder were evaluated comprehensively with 13 physical indicators, including particle size, span, width, bulk density, tap density, Hausner ratio, angle of repose, compressibility, viscosity, specific surface area, pore volume, moisture content and hygroscopicity. Furthermore, the physical properties of the powder were summarized as homogeneity, stackability, fluidity, compressibility and stability of five aspects, then established the corresponding physical fingerprint spectrum. The powder properties were evaluated by the physical property values. The similarity of the three powders was compared by similarity evaluation method. And the indexes of parameter, parametric profile, and good compression were constructed to analyze the compressibility of the powder. Results The powders obtained by the three kinds of drying methods have poor fluidity and stability. The vacuum drying and vacuum microwave drying powders have good stackability, and the spray-dried powders have excellent homogeneity and compressibility. From the similarity, it can be seen that the similarity of powdery property of spray drying and vacuum drying extract is 79%, and 81.3% with vacuum microwave drying. Conclusion The physical fingerprint of TCM can be used to evaluate the influence of different drying methods on the powder science properties of Chinese medicine extract powder and the influence of physical properties on the formability of the preparation, which provides a new evaluation method for the Chinese medicine extract powder.
RESUMO
The compressibility of tablets is the essential operating unit during the preparation of traditional Chinese medicine tablets, as well as a complicated process. Therefore, it is of great significance to comprehensively study the influencing factors on the formation process. This paper aimed to review the evaluation methods for the tablet forming quality and highlight the effects of material powder properties, excipients and preparation technology on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine tablets on the basis of relevant literatures. Furthermore, the common problems in tablet forming process are also analyzed to provide useful references for the development of tablet forming quality of traditional Chinese medicines.