UV reflectance imaging-based component mapping of spironolactone tablets using a UV-sensitive camera compared with...

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Machine Vision

Background:

• Spectroscopic imaging methods are established for mapping tablet component distribution.
• UV reflectance imaging presents a potentially faster alternative for surface analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the applicability of UV reflectance imaging for mapping tablet component distribution.
• To compare UV reflectance imaging with NIR and Raman chemical imaging.

Main Methods:

• Model tablets with varying spironolactone particle sizes were prepared.
• UV reflectance imaging, NIR chemical imaging, and Raman chemical imaging were used for comparison.
• Analysis focused on distinguishing spironolactone, microcrystalline cellulose, and lactose monohydrate.

Main Results:

• UV reflectance imaging successfully distinguished tablet components and generated qualitative maps.
• Component maps from UV imaging showed agreement with NIR and Raman distributions.
• UV reflectance imaging required significantly less measurement time compared to NIR and Raman.

Conclusions:

• UV reflectance imaging is a viable rapid screening approach for tablet component mapping.
• The technique provides surface distribution patterns comparable to established methods.
• UV imaging's speed makes it suitable for preliminary analysis in pharmaceutical development.