Preparation and evaluation of a compressed tablet rapidly disintegrating in the oral cavity.

In order to make a compressed tablet which can rapidly disintegrate in the oral cavity, microcrystalline cellulose and low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose were used as disintegrants, and ethenzamide and ascorbic acid were chosen as poorly and easily water soluble model drugs, respectively. The mixture of microcrystalline cellulose and low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose was compressed at 100--500 kgf in the absence of an active ingredient. The properties of these tablets, such as hardness, porosity, the time required for complete wetting of a tested tablet (wetting time), water uptake and disintegration time determined by a new disintegration apparatus, were investigated to elucidate the wetting and disintegration characteristics of these tablets, When the MCC/L-HPC ratio was in the range of 8:2 to 9:1, the shortest disintegration time was observed. The disintegration of tablets containing ethenzamide or ascorbic acid was examined next. Tablet disintegration time in the oral cavity was also tested, and good correlation between the disintegration behaviors in vitro and in the oral cavity was recognized.