Preparation of green and gelatin-free nanocrystalline cellulose capsules

Yapei Zhang; Qing Zhao; Huashan Wang; Xingyu Jiang; Ruitao Cha

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.01.096

Preparation of green and gelatin-free nanocrystalline cellulose capsules

Carbohydr Polym. 2017 May 15:164:358-363. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.01.096. Epub 2017 Feb 1.

Authors

Yapei Zhang¹, Qing Zhao², Huashan Wang³, Xingyu Jiang⁴, Ruitao Cha⁵

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Engineering Research Center for BioNanotechnology and CAS Key Lab for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for NanoScience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China; Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
² Tianjin Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of P.R. China, Tianjin 300042, China.
³ School of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
⁴ Beijing Engineering Research Center for BioNanotechnology and CAS Key Lab for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for NanoScience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China. Electronic address: xingyujiang@nanoctr.cn.
⁵ Beijing Engineering Research Center for BioNanotechnology and CAS Key Lab for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for NanoScience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China. Electronic address: chart@nanoctr.cn.

PMID: 28325336
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.01.096

Abstract

The ambiguous source and uncontrolled solubility of gelatin make it crucial to develop gelatin capsule substitutes. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) of excellent mechanical performance, good biocompatibility and green origin has drawn many attentions as a new class of biomaterials. In this work, NCC capsule was prepared by dipping method with PEG and glycerol as plasticizer. The effect of PEG and glycerol on the rheological property of NCC gel and the surface morphology of NCC capsule was evaluated. The disintegration time of NCC capsule meet the criteria in United States Pharmacopoeia (USP32-701).There is no significant difference in the release of sulfuric acid between gelatin capsule and NCC capsule. NCC capsule thus has the potential as a green platform for biomedical applications in drug delivery.

Keywords: Capsule; Disintegration; Nanocrystalline cellulose; Rheology; Swelling.