The influence of substituted phenols on the sol:gel transition of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) aqueous solutions.

The influence of the physicochemical parameters of substituted aromatic molecules on the phase transition from sol to gel of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) has been investigated using a homologous series of substituted phenols. Using a turbimetric methodology, concentration dependent suppression of phase transition temperature of HPMC was observed for phenol and its derivatives, including methyl-, nitro- and chloro-substituted molecules. Although no strong direct relationship between single molecular physicochemical properties of the phenolic compounds (such as pKa, LogP and other molecular descriptors) and ΔCPT was found for the compounds tested, a successful prediction of behaviour could be obtained by using a combination of parameters. This suggested that the interaction mechanism between HPMC and the substituted aromatic moiety is a complex summation of the different molecular physicochemical properties. Identification of these potentially deleterious chemical moieties may be of value in a pharmaceutical context when considering preformulation of drug structures containing them. An incompatibility between drug and polymer may be indicative of deleterious effects resulting from formulation with hydrophilic matrix dosage forms containing cellulose ethers such as HPMC.

Elucidation of the internal physical and chemical microstructure of pharmaceutical granules using X-ray micro-computed tomography, Raman microscopy and infrared spectroscopy.

X-ray micro-computed tomography (XMCT) was used in conjunction with confocal Raman mapping to measure the intra-granular pore size, binder volumes and to provide spatial and chemical maps of internal granular components in α-lactose monohydrate granules formulated with different molecular weights of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). Infrared spectroscopy was used to understand the molecular association of binder domains. Granules were prepared by high-shear aqueous granulation from α-lactose monohydrate and PVP K29/32 or K90. XMCT was used to visualise the granule microstructure, intra-granular binder distribution and measure intra-granular porosity, which was subsequently related to intrusion porosimetry measurements. Confocal Raman microscopy and infrared microscopy were employed to investigate the distribution of components within the granule and explore the nature of binder substrate interactions. XMCT data sets of internal granule microstructure provided values of residual porosity in the lactose:PVP K29/32 and lactose:PVP K90 granules of 32.41 ± 4.60% and 22.40 ± 0.03%, respectively. The binder volumes of the lactose:PVP K29/32 and lactose:PVP K90 granules were 2.98 ± 0.10% and 3.38 ± 0.07%, respectively, and were attributed to PVP-rich binder domains within the granule. Confocal Raman microscopy revealed anisotropic domains of PVP between 2 µm and 20 µm in size surrounded by larger particles of lactose, in both granule types. Raman data showed that PVP domains contained various amounts of lactose, whilst IR microscopy determined that the PVP was molecularly associated with lactose, rather than residual water. The work shows that XMCT can be applied to investigate granular microstructure and resolve the porosity and the excipient and binder volumes. Combining this technique with vibrational techniques provides further structural information and aids the interpretations of the XMCT images. When used complementarily, these techniques highlighted that porosity and binder volume were the most significant microstructural differences between the α-lactose monohydrate granules formulated with the different grades of PVP.

An investigation into the rheology of pharmaceutical inter-granular material bridges at high shear rates.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to investigate the rheological properties of inter-granular material bridges on the nano-scale when strained at high shear rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used as a rheometer to measure the viscoelasticity of inter-granular material bridges for lactose:PVP K29/32 and lactose:PVP K90 granules, produced by wet granulation. RESULTS: The loss tangent (tan delta) and both the storage (G') and loss shear moduli (G'') of inter-granular material bridges were measured as a function of the probe-sample separation distance, oscillation frequency and relative humidity (RH). As the probe was withdrawn from the granule surface tan delta initially increased rapidly from zero to a plateau phase. G'' became increasingly dominant as the bridge was further extended and eventually exceeded G'. At high RH, capillary forces were foremost at bridge rupture, whereas at low RH elastic forces dominated. The effect of increasing frequency was to increase the effective elasticity of the bridge at high RH. CONCLUSIONS: AFM has been employed as a rheometer to investigate the nano-scale rheology of inter-granular material bridges. This novel method may be used to obtain a fundamental understanding how different binders, granulated with different diluent fillers, behave at high shear rates.

Calorimetric and spatial characterization of polymorphic transitions in caffeine using quasi-isothermal MTDSC and localized thermomechanical analysis.

We describe a novel integrated approach to the study of polymorphic transformation that includes quasi-isothermal modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (QI-MTDSC) and microthermal analysis (MTA), with a view to studying the thermal, kinetic and spatial characteristics of the process. Form II and I caffeine was prepared and conventional DSC and hot stage microscopy performed. The Form II to I transition at circa 413 K was associated with a change in crystal habit to needle shaped crystals. QI-MTDSC was used to measure the heat capacity of the system as a function of temperature, while MTA was able to spatially differentiate between the two polymorphs in compressed systems. We present a novel extension of the reduced temperature method whereby we apply it for the first time to linear rising temperature data corresponding to the transition; the analysis suggests a close approximation to Arrhenius behavior. We also describe a heat transfer model that allows calculation of the thermal gradients within a hermetically sealed pan for the first time. The combined approach has therefore allowed the characterization of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the transformation process as well as spatial identification of the distribution of the transformation in compressed systems.

Monitoring the thermal gelation of cellulose ethers in situ using attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

In this work attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to probe the thermal gelation behavior of aqueous solutions of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), specifically thermal gelation and accompanying precipitation. Cloud point measurements are usually evaluated through turbidity in dilute solutions but the method cannot readily be applied to more concentrated or highly viscous solutions. From the ATR-FTIR data, intensity changes of the nu(CO) band marked the onset of gelation and information about the temperature of gelation and the effect of the gel structure on the water hydrogen bonding network was elucidated. Changes in the relative intensities of bands associated with the methoxyl groups and hydrogen-bond-forming secondary alcohol groups indicated that hydrophobic polymer chain interactions were involved in the gelation process. The dominance of inter-molecular H bonding over intra-molecular H bonding within the cellulose ether in solution was also observed. The ATR-FTIR data was in good agreement with measurements of turbidity conducted on the same systems. The work indicates significant potential for the use of ATR-FTIR for the investigation of gelation and cloud point measurements in viscous cellulosic formulations.