OBJECTIVETo prepare Qixian decoction pellets.

METHODThe formulation and technological factors influencing the preparation of Qixian decoction were investigated in tangential spray fluid bed choosing the yield of pellets, particle diameter distribution, repose angle, bulk density as inspecting indexes.

RESULTthe technological parameters for the preparation of blank pellets were as follows: the ratio of starch and dextrin was 2:1, the adhesive agent was 70% syrup, the rotating speed was 200 r x min(-1), the air blow flow was 15 x 20 L x min(-1), the rate of air flow was 15 L x min(-1), the spay air pressure was 0.15 MPa, and the rotating rate of spray solution pump was 20-50 r x min(-1); The optimized technological parameters for the preparation of Qixian decoction were as follows: the relative density of the extract was 1.12-1.15 g x min(-1), the diluent was MCC and its quantity was 8%, the rotating rate of spray solution pump was 10-12 mL x min(-1), the frequency of the rotor disc was 18-20 Hz, the atomizing pressure was 0.2 MPa, the frequency of the fan was 22 Hz, and the spheronisation and drying time was 30 mins.

CONCLUSIONthe appearance of the Qixian decoction pellets prepared in tangential spray fluid bed are smoothing and round, the yield of pellets are high, and pellets of the particle size between 500-700 microm is 90.6%.

Adhesives ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; instrumentation ; methods ; Drug Implants ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Rotation ; Temperature ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo prepare an effective and water-soluble lubricant.

METHODCo-sprayed lubricant (L-leucine and polyethylene glycol 6000 co-sprayed according to a certain proportion) and mixed lubricant (the physical mixture of spayed L-leucine and crushed polyethylene glycol 6000) were prepared and polyethylene glycol 6000, L-leucine, magnesium stearate, sodium stearyl fumarate and sodium chloride are crushed and sieved, respectively. Residual force, appearance of solution and disintegration time were considered as response variables of the lubrication effect to evaluate different lubricants. The changes of the co-sprayed lubricant were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, fourier infrared, electronic scanning microscope and X-ray diffraction.

RESULTThe efficacy of co-sprayed lubricant is better than other lubricants. Efficacy is improved by external form change without inner components and crystal changes.

CONCLUSIONCo-sprayed lubricant is a good water soluble tablet lubricant which has good efficacy.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Leucine ; chemistry ; Lubricants ; chemistry ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry ; Solubility ; Tablets ; Water ; X-Ray Diffraction

OBJECTIVEStudy on the moisture sorption process characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine extract powder, to establish a mathematical model, provide a new method for in-depth study for moisture sorption behavior of traditional Chinese medicine extract powder and a reference for determine the production cycle, and predict product stability.

METHODAnalyzed moisture absorption process of traditional Chinese medicine extract powder by utilized the law of conservation of mass and Fick's first law to establish the double exponential absorption model, fitted the moisture absorption data and compared with other commonly used five kinds of model to estimate the double-exponential absorption model.

RESULTThe statistical analysis showed that the coefficient of determination (R2) of double exponential model, Weibull distribution model and first order kinetics model were large, but the residues sum of squares (RSS) and AIC values were small. Synthesized the practical application meaning, we consided that the double exponential model was more suitable for simulating the process of Chinese medicine extract powder moisture absorption.

CONCLUSIONThe double exponential is suitable for characterization the process of traditional Chinese medicine extract moisture absorption.

Absorption ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Kinetics ; Models, Chemical ; Powders ; Water ; chemistry

ObjectiveThe hygroscopic properties of Mume Flos decoction pieces were studied from the perspectives of macroscopic［water activity（A_w）］ and microscopic（water molecular mobility）， which provided a theoretical basis for the determination of the safe storage moisture content. MethodAdsorption isotherm of Mume Flos decoction pieces was obtained by static weighing method， and seven common hygroscopic models were fitted and estimated. The best model was selected according to the principle that determination coefficient（R²） was closer to 1， residual sum of squares（RSS） was closer to 0 and Akaike information criterion（AIC） was smaller. According to the optimal model， the absolute and relative safe moisture contents of Mume Flos decoction pieces at 25， 35， 45 ℃ was calculated. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance（LF-NMR） was used to measure the water molecular mobility in the hygroscopic process of Mume Flos decoction pieces. ResultThe best model to describe the adsorption isotherm of Mume Flos decoction pieces was the Peleg model. According to the model expression， the absolute safe moisture contents of Mume Flos decoction pieces at 25， 35， 45 ℃ were 9.59%， 7.96% and 7.68%， and the relative safe moisture contents were 13.05%， 11.99%， 11.77%， respectively. Mume Flos decoction pieces all contained two water states during the process of hygroscopic absorption at different temperatures， namely bound water T₂₁ and free water T₂₂. During the process of hygroscopic absorption， bound water had the largest increase in peak area. The sum of peak areas of the bound water and free water had a good linear relationship with the moisture contents， and the R² were 0.959 9， 0.911 8 and 0.974 7 at 25， 35， 45 ℃， respectively. When A_w<0.57， T₂₁ did not change， and the water molecular mobility remained unchanged. When A_w>0.57， T₂₁ showed an increasing trend， and the water molecular mobility increased. The moisture contents of Mume Flos decoction pieces were 8.44%， 6.81% and 6.25% when the water molecular mobility increased at 25， 35， 45 ℃， respectively. ConclusionCombined with the theory of water activity and water molecular mobility， 6.25% is recommended as the safe storage moisture content of Mume Flos decoction pieces， this study can provide reference for determining the safe storage moisture content of other decoction pieces.

OBJECTIVE：To establish the method for online rapid detection of related indexes in the concentration process of Huagai san extraction solution ，and to provide reference for judgment of concentration end point. METHODS ：Online diagram of 73 concentrated samples in the concentration process of Huagai san extraction solution were drawn by NIRS online collection equipment. The partial least squares （PLS）method was used to establish the NIRS quantitative calibration model of 5 related indexes （concentration density ， solid content ， the contents of amygdalin ， ephedrine hydrochloride and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride）. Another 15 samples were used to validate the model ，and the correlation of predicted value and measured value was analyzed. RESULTS ：The correlation coefficients （R2）of the concentration density ，solid content ，the contents of amygdalin ， ephedrine hydrochloride and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in the quantitative calibration model were 0.982 5，0.999 9，0.998 3， 0.999 4 and 0.999 3，respectively；the root mean square errors of calibration （RMSEC）were 0.001 6，0.025 1，0.014 7，0.001 8 and 0.000 9；the root mean square errors of cross validation （RMSECV）were 0.002 1，0.035 8，0.033 6，0.006 3 and 0.001 3， respectively. After validation by 15 samples，root mean square errors of prediction （RMSEP）were 0.003 2，0.024 6，0.021 5， 0.007 7 and 0.005 9，respectively. CONCLUSIONS ：The established quantitative calibration model has good predictability and can provide basis for online judgment of concentration end point of Huagai san extraction solution.

ObjectiveTo construct a quantitative prediction model of three indicators（moisture absorption rate， film thickness and coating weight gain） during the coating process of Vitamin C Yinqiao tablets（VCYT） by near-infrared spectroscopy（NIRS）， and to realize the endpoint judgment. MethodReal-time NIRS data of 4 batches of VCYT during the coating process were collected by diffuse reflection method. The coating method employed was the rolling coating method， and the samples were obtained at the spray stage from the coater's sampling port every 10 minutes， and 57 batches of samples（about 1 800 tablets） were collected at various coating times， the tablets were embedded in molten paraffin， cut longitudinally， and observed by stereomicroscope. The film thickness， with a target value of 38 μm， was then measured using Motic Images Advanced 3.2 software. Furthermore， the mositure absorption rate of samples， aiming for a target value of 3%， was determined in accordance with guiding principles for drug hygroscopicity testing in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， and 3 samples were randomly selected from each batch（10 tablets per batch）， and the coating weight gain was calculated（target value of 4%）. Partial least squares regression（PLSR） was used to construct a quantitative model of the 3 coating indicators， and the predicted values of the coating indicators were smoothed using the moving average method and used to determine the coating endpoints. ResultThe prediction determination coefficients（R_p²） for moisture absorption rate， film thickness and coating weight gain were 0.933 4， 0.932 6 and 0.965 9， the root mean square errors of prediction（RMSEP） were 0.163 5%， 1.870 9 μm and 0.240 3%， the relative percent deviations（RPD） were 3.711 0， 2.760 7 and 5.415 8， respectively. The results of the external validation set demonstrated that the real-time predicted values obtained by the models exhibited the same trend as the measured values， and the coating endpoint could be accurately predicted（with a prediction error of less than 7.32 min and a relative error of less than 5.63%）. ConclusionThe established NIRS model exhibits excellent predictive performance and can be used for quality control of VCYT during the coating process.

ObjectiveModern scientific methods and techniques were used to scientifically characterize the traditional softening process of Corydalis Rhizoma， so as to clarify the scientificity and rationality of the traditional process， and provide reference for inheriting the processing methods and experience of traditional Chinese medicine. MethodLow-field nuclear magnetic resonance imaging （LF-NMR/MRI） was used to characterize the water types and distribution in the softening process of Corydalis Rhizoma. Samples during the softening process was cut into thick slices and its section was observed by stereoscopic microscope. High performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was employed to determine the content change of tetrahydropalmatine during the softening process with the mobile phase of methanol-0.1% phosphoric acid solution （60∶40， triethylamine regulated to pH 6.5） and detection wavelength at 280 nm. The determination method of softening endpoint of Corydalis Rhizoma was simulated by texture analyzer （hand pinch method）， and the softening degree of the finished products was determined after optimizing the relevant parameters. ResultLF-NMR/MRI showed that the water could penetrate through the core and distribute evenly in Corydalis Rhizoma softened by Zhangbang method. The water first entered into the medicinal material from the epidermis and stem marks in the soaking stage as the form of free water， and then penetrated into the inner core to achieve redistribution in the moistening stage. Under stereoscopic microscope， it was observed that Corydalis Rhizoma softened by the Zhangbang method could be sliced well， but the core bursting slices were easy to appear if the softening time was not enough， and the softening of samples was caused by the keratine-like powder after absorbing water. HPLC measurement showed that the loss of tetrahydropalmatine in the softening method was small， its content decreased about 5% in the soaking process， and its content was almost unchanged during the moistening process. The softening degree of Corydalis Rhizoma could be quantified by the texture analyzer， and the optimum parameters were 2 mm·s^-1 of speed before test， test speed and speed after test， 20 g of the trigger force， 20% of compression degree. The compressive force of the qualified softened Corydalis Rhizoma was 12.75-15.69 N with the relative standard deviation （RSD） of 6.8%. ConclusionModern scientific methods and techniques can characterize the scientificity and rationality of the traditional processing methods， and confirm that the Zhangbang softening method has the advantages of high efficiency， convenience and small loss of index components. The texture analyzer can simulate the softening endpoint judgment method （hand pinch method）， and realize the goal from subjective experience judgment to objective technology quantification， which has a good demonstration role for the modern inheritance of traditional processing technology.