Texture analysis as a tool to study the kinetics of wet agglomeration processes.

In this work wet granulation experiments were carried out in a planetary mixer with the aim to develop a novel analytical tool based on surface texture analysis. The evolution of a simple formulation (300g of microcrystalline cellulose with a solid binders pre-dispersed in water) was monitored from the very beginning up to the end point and information on the kinetics of granulation as well as on the effect of liquid binder amount were collected. Agreement between texture analysis and granules particle size distribution obtained by sieving analysis was always found. The method proved to be robust enough to easily monitor the process and its use for more refined analyses on the different rate processes occurring during granulation is also suggested.

New chitosan salt in gastro-resistant oral formulation could interfere with enteric bile salts emulsification of diet fats: preliminary laboratory observations and physiologic rationale.

Chitosan (CH) is a polymer of glucosamine that is extracted from the shells of several sea fruits. It is well recognized as a nutritional supplement that is used to reduce body weight and blood lipid levels, but its clinical efficacy has not been clearly demonstrated. The true mechanism of action and physiological processes involved in these properties of CH are not yet understood or explained. The most accepted theories assume that CH reduces dietary fat absorption by trapping the fat in the gastric lumen. The very low pH of the gastric lumen induces CH jellification and, therefore, entrapment of the fats. This article describes the most plausible mechanism by which CH interferes with fat absorption in the first part of the enteric tract while interacting with cholic acids. We emphasize the weak points of the classic CH-containing formulations, which are unable to prove this theory. We also report preliminary experimental data of a new CH salt-containing formulation that is capable of effectively interfering with bile salt emulsification processes and, as a result, reducing dietary fat absorption.