Efecto del método de fabricación sobre el tiempo de desintegración de tabletas de carbonato de calcio y celulosa microcristalina

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the preparation method on the disintegration time (DT) of tablets made with 11 different proportions of microcrystalline cellulose (MC) and calcium carbonate (CC). It was determined the DT of tablets made by simple blend, spray dried and wet granulated mixtures, at four different compaction pressures. It was observed by increasing compaction pressures that the disintegration time also increased. Proportions in which CC was increased in CC/CM mixtures produced first a drop down, then stabilization and finally an increase in DT. The disintegration times were less than 1 minute, with exception at the extreme concentrations of CC that were up to 2 hours, at high compaction pressures. Addition of PVP increases the average DT from 11 minutes to 20 minutes, making a smooth difference between the DT of the middle from those extreme CC concentrations. In tablets obtained by the spray drying method the average disintegration time increased to 46 minutes whereas tablets obtained by wet granulation increased DT up to 50 minutes. Tablets from different formulas show no correlation between tablet tensile strength and DT, while tablets from a single formula show a linear relationship. The results were attributed to different degrees of tablet cohesion and to different interaction behavior of CC and CM with water, this generating greater shear forces as the surface of contact between these materials increased.