Acid-treated yeast cell wall as a binder displaying function of disintegrant

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Traditional pharmaceutical formulations often require separate binders and disintegrants.
• Developing novel excipients with multiple functionalities can streamline tablet manufacturing.
• Yeast cell wall components are explored for their potential in drug delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dual functionality of acid-treated yeast cell wall (AYC) as a binder and disintegrant.
• To evaluate the impact of AYC on the granulation, compression, disintegration, and drug release of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) tablets.
• To assess the utility of AYC as a unique pharmaceutical additive.

Main Methods:

• Granulation of ASA with AYC, hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), or pullulan (PUL).
• Tablet compression and evaluation of granule properties (particle size, angle of repose).
• Assessment of tablet properties (tensile strength, disintegration time, water absorption) and ASA release profiles.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for AYC-granule surface observation.

Main Results:

• AYC effectively granulated ASA, with increased granule size (D50) correlating with AYC concentration.
• Tablets with AYC (≥5%) exhibited rapid disintegration (approx. 4 minutes) and quick ASA release, unlike HPC, PVP, or PUL tablets.
• AYC-containing tablets (≥5%) showed enhanced water absorption and high granule fluidity (angle of repose 25.7° for 5% AYC), with sufficient tensile strength (>0.8 MPa).

Conclusions:

• Acid-treated yeast cell wall (AYC) functions effectively as both a binder during granulation and a disintegrant during dissolution.
• AYC at concentrations of 5% or greater promotes rapid disintegration and drug release of ASA tablets.
• AYC presents significant potential as a versatile pharmaceutical excipient with dual binding and disintegrating properties.