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Updated: Aug 19, 2025

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering CARS Microscopy Visualizes Pharmaceutical Tablets During Dissolution
Published on: July 4, 2014
Development of Flow-Through Cell Dissolution Method for In Situ Visualization of Dissolution Processes in Solid
Niloofar Moazami Goudarzi1,2, Aseel Samaro3, Chris Vervaet3
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Radiation Physics, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86/N12, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
Abstract:
Visualization of the dynamic behavior of pharmaceutical dosage forms during the dissolution process offers a better understanding of the drug release mechanism, enabling the design of customized dosage forms. In this study, an X-ray tomography-based approach is proposed to monitor and analyze the dynamics of the structure at the pore scale level during the dissolution process. A flow-through cell dissolution apparatus was developed, capable of mimicking the standard in vitro dissolution process, which can be easily positioned in an X-ray tomography setup. The method was utilized to study the dissolution of a Capa® (polycaprolactone)-based sustained-release 3D printed tablet. The impact of the flow rate on the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) release rate was studied and 16 mL/min was selected as a suitable flow rate. Furthermore, cesium chloride (CsCl) was used as a contrast agent to increase the contrast between the sample and the dissolution medium. Data obtained with this novel technique were in a good agreement with the released drug rate acquired by the standard in vitro dissolution test (the similarity factor (f2) = 77%). Finally, the proposed approach allowed visualizing the internal structure of the sample, as well as real-time tracking of solution ingress into the product.
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