Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The shell dissolution of various empty hard capsules.

I Chiwele1, B E Jones, F Podczeck

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutics, The School of Pharmacy. University of London, UK.

Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin
|August 3, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Impact of COVID-19 on diagnosis and testing for TB in a high-resource, low-burden setting.

The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease·2022
Same author

Characterising <sup>18</sup>F-fluciclovine uptake in breast cancer through the use of dynamic PET/CT imaging.

British journal of cancer·2021
Same author

Microbiomics of Namib Desert habitats.

Extremophiles : life under extreme conditions·2019
Same author

Multicenter study of QuantiFERON<sup>®</sup>-TB Gold Plus in patients with active tuberculosis.

The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease·2018
Same author

Development and Validation of a Natural Language Processing Tool to Identify Patients Treated for Pneumonia across VA Emergency Departments.

Applied clinical informatics·2018
Same author

Investigation on the aerosol performance of dry powder inhalation hypromellose capsules with different lubricant levels.

International journal of pharmaceutics·2015
Same journal

Development of Highly Selective Alcohol Oxidation Using Precisely Designed Catalysts.

Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026
Same journal

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Potent Cognition-Improved Compounds Targeting AMPA Receptor Based on CX717.

Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026
Same journal

Associations of Bioactive Constituents of Aster yomena with Environmental Variables.

Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026
Same journal

Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement as a Complementary Tool for Monitoring Disintegration and Drug Release Processes of Sustained-Release Formulations: A Preliminary Investigation.

Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026
Same journal

A Nonclassical N-Methyl Amidation Using N,N-Disubstituted Aminophosphonium Salts.

Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026
Same journal

Synthesis of 2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-1,5-benzoxazepine Derivatives via Alkoxy Migration Induced by N-O Bond Cleavage of N-Aryl Isoxazolidines.

Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026
See all related articles

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) capsules dissolve quickly across temperatures, unlike gelatin capsules which require warmer conditions. HPMC capsules are recommended for faster drug delivery, especially when taken on an empty stomach.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Capsule shell dissolution is critical for drug bioavailability.
  • Gelatin, gelatin/polyethylene glycol (PEG), and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) are common capsule materials with differing properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dissolution characteristics of gelatin, gelatin/PEG, and HPMC capsule shells.
  • To evaluate the impact of temperature, dissolution medium pH, and storage conditions on capsule shell dissolution.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative study of capsule shell dissolution under various conditions.
  • Testing dissolution media ranging from pH 5.8 to 6.8 and temperatures from 10 to 55°C.
  • Assessing the effect of storage under hot, humid conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • HPMC capsules demonstrated rapid dissolution at pH ≤ 5.8 across all tested temperatures (10-55°C).
  • Gelatin and gelatin/PEG capsules showed limited dissolution below 30°C and slower, more variable dissolution at pH 6.8.
  • Enzyme addition did not significantly alter dissolution differences; storage in tropical conditions affected HPMC more than gelatin shells.

Conclusions:

  • HPMC capsules offer faster and more predictable dissolution, suitable for various temperatures and conditions, including fasted-state administration.
  • Gelatin capsules require specific administration conditions (e.g., warm drinks) and are less suitable for rapid release formulations.
  • Avoid carbonated beverages like Cola-type drinks with capsule formulations due to potential dissolution interference.