Preparation of medicinal carbon tablets by modified wet compression method

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• High doses of medicinal carbon (MC) pose challenges for patients due to adherence and discomfort.
• Developing a tablet dosage form for MC is crucial for improved patient compliance and administration.
• Key requirements for MC tablets include fast disintegration, adequate hardness, and potent adsorption capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for producing medicinal carbon (MC) tablets.
• To evaluate the physical properties and adsorption efficacy of the developed MC tablets.

Main Methods:

• A modified wet compression technique was employed using carboxymethylcellulose sodium (CMC-Na) as a binder and croscarmellose sodium (CC-Na) as a disintegrant.
• Medicinal carbon granules were compressed using a specific layering technique with the binder solution.
• The resulting tablets were assessed for hardness, disintegration time, and acetaminophen adsorption.

Main Results:

• Tablets produced with 10% CMC-Na and 10% CC-Na, using 2.5% CMC-Na binder solution, exhibited sufficient hardness (>4 kg) and rapid disintegration (<6 min).
• The acetaminophen adsorption profile of the developed MC tablets closely matched that of intact MC powder.
• The modified wet compression method successfully yielded MC tablets with desirable pharmaceutical characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The modified wet compression method, incorporating CMC-Na and CC-Na, is effective for producing high-quality medicinal carbon tablets.
• This approach offers a viable solution for administering medicinal carbon in a more patient-friendly tablet form.
• The developed MC tablets maintain excellent adsorption capabilities essential for treating oral intoxications.