Physico-Technical and Tableting Properties of Grades of Microcrystalline Cellulose Derived from Sorghum and Andropogon Plants

Abstract

The processing technique for production of alpha and microcystalline cellulose using Sorghum bicolor and Andropogon gayanus as starting materials was established. The effect of reagent type and concentration, pH, temperature, digestion and bleaching time on the quality and yield of the powdered cellulose grades &as studied. Acute toxicity test on the derived polymers was investigated using albino mice. The physicotechnical properties of the new polymeric materials were studied. A Carver hydraulic hand press was used to determine the compression and compaction characteristics of the cellulose products. The reworking potentials of the pure excipents in addition to ihe critical excipient concentr&ions of SOMCC or AMCC in blends containing drugs were determined. Formulations of acetaminophen, ascorbic acid and metronidazole at polymer concentrations of 30, 33.3 and 33.3% respectively were compressed using STC Tablet Machine Model THP (Shanghai). ., ,, . 4 . r . .#* , , . a The yield of the white cellulose grades, sorghum microcrystalline cellulose (SOMCC) and Andropogon microcrystalline cellulose (AMCC) was 32 and 34.5% respectively of I, . .,. the dried and powdered grass. Both SOMCC and AMCC had LD,, >1000mg/kg. Starch and Dextrins were absent, pH was in the range of 5.8 to 6.5 and moisture content was between 4.6-6.4%. The a-cellulose grades were approximately 4 times vii bulkier than the corresponding MCC grades, while hydration capacity (H,) ratio is approximately 2: 1. Swelling capacity (S,) of the polymers obeyed a derived equation , S,=(d,/n~.V ,)-1 where V, is volume of swollen material, d, is particle density and m is weight of dry material. S, of the a-cellulose grade was approximately twice that of the microcrystalline form in each case. The tensile strength profiles of the polymers showed that compact strength is in the order SOMCC > AMCC > Avicel pH 101. The determined yield pressures (P,) were 152.27 and 195.08MNm-2 for SOMCC or AMCC. The P, of Avicel PHlOl was 151.24 MNm-2 which is quite close to that of SOMCC. The percentage recompressibility was in the order SOMCC '3 Avicel > AMCC. Acetaminophen, ascorbic acid and metronidazole were all found to be compatible with SOMCC, AMCC or Avicel PH 101. A 25 to 40% w/w concentration of AMCC, SOMCC, or Avicel PHlOl is required to produce noncapping tablets of acetaminophen or ascorbic acid at compression pressure of 63.4 to 03.6 MNm-2 while that of metronidazole is 30-40 % at 93.4 to 124 MNrn-2. ., ,..,., r, .,' ,.'V$ ' 1:ormulations of these drugs were found to exhibit good tablet characteristics and drug contents were within acceptable ranges. The t,, of acetaminophen tablets Ior~nulated with the excipients and determined after 6 months of storage was in the , I - .- order SOMCC = AMCC < Avicel PHlOl, while that of metronidazole was Avicel 1'1-1 101 < SOMCC = AMCC. The findings in this work indicates that the two grades of MCC can find wide application in pharmaceutical and allied industries.