A Novel Forming Method of Traditional Chinese Medicine Dispersible Tablets to Achieve Rapid Disintegration Based on the Powder Modification Principle

Slow disintegration and poor solubility are common problems facing the dispersible tablets of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In an early study, the research group found that co-grinding of extracts and silica could achieve a rapid disintegration effect, though the mechanism of this effect was not thoroughly elucidated. In this study, Yuanhu Zhitong dispersible tablets (YZDT) were selected as a model drug to explore the mechanism of rapid disintegration and dissolution. First, eight types of silica were used to prepare modified YZDT, and their disintegration time and amount of dissolution within 5 min were measured. Next, the powder properties of eight types of silica were investigated. By correlation analysis, it was found that the average pore size and density of silica were closely related to the effect of promoting disintegration. It was determined that the co-grinding of silica and extracts provided high porosity for the raw material drug, and its abundant narrow channels provided a strong static pressure for water penetration to achieve a rapid disintegration effect. Meanwhile, it was found that the addition of silica had a certain effect on promoting dissolution. Our results provide a highly operational approach for improving the disintegration and dissolution of TCM dispersible tablets. Meanwhile, this approach is also beneficial for establishing a high-quality evaluation index for silica.