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ABSTRACT
Teff (Eragrostis tef), a grass which belongs to the Family Poaceae, is widely cultivated for its starch-rich grains in Ethiopia, generating large amounts of agricultural byproduct, teff straw. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from teff straw and evaluate MCC as directly compressible tablet excipient. Cellulose was extracted from teff straw and partially depolymerized to obtain MCC. The physicochemical properties of cellulose and MCC powders were characterized. Yields of cellulose and MCC powder from the raw material were 35.2% and 27.2%, respectively. The samples exhibited type-I crystal lattice and similar infrared spectra with that of Avicel PH-101. The degree of polymerization (DP) and crystallinity index of cellulose were 594.51 and 72.26%, respectively. Whereas, MCC powders showed DP of 241.09–257.38 and crystallinity indexes of 76.45–84.52%. Spray dried MCC was found to be more porous and poorly flowable and had higher moisture content when compared with the oven-dried MCC powder. Tablets prepared from both MCC powders fulfil most of the pharmacopoeial requirements. The spray-dried MCC powder also showed superior compactibility to oven-dried MCC. Teff straw can, therefore, be considered to be an alternative source of cellulose and MCC.
摘要
Teff（Eragrostis tef）是一种禾本科植物，在埃塞俄比亚因其富含淀粉的谷物而被广泛种植，产生大量的农业副产品，即Teff秸秆. 本研究的目的是从聚四氟乙烯秸秆中分离和表征纤维素和微晶纤维素（MCC），并评价MCC是一种可直接压缩的片剂辅料. 从聚四氟乙烯秸秆中提取纤维素并部分解聚得到MCC. 对纤维素和MCC粉末的理化性质进行了表征. 纤维素和MCC粉末的产率分别为35.2%和27.2%. 样品表现出I型晶格和与Avicel PH-101相似的红外光谱. 纤维素的聚合度（DP）和结晶度指数分别为594.51和72.26%. 而MCC粉末的DP为241.09–257.38，结晶度指数为76.45–84.52%. 喷雾干燥的MCC被发现更多孔且流动性差，并且与烘箱干燥的MCC粉末相比具有更高的水分含量. 由两种MCC粉末制备的片剂符合药典的大部分要求. 喷雾干燥的MCC粉末也显示出优于烘箱干燥的MCC的压实性. 因此，Teff秸秆可以被认为是纤维素和MCC的替代来源.
Highlights
The X-ray diffraction pattern and thermograms of MCC powders prepared in our study are closely related with that of the commercial MCC (Avicel PH-101).
The spray-dried MCC powder (MCC-SD) and Avicel PH-101 have similar dilution capacity and comparable compressibility using paracetamol as the model drug.
Tablets prepared from MCC-SD powder had comparable mechanical strength with those prepared from Avicel PH-101.
Disintegration time and dissolution profiles of paracetamol loaded tablets prepared from both MCC-OD and MCC-SD met pharmacopoeial standards.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Debre-Markos University for sponsoring the MSc study of MG. Addis Ababa University is acknowledged for the financial support and providing access to the laboratory facility. The authors are also grateful to the Department of Materials Engineering, Adama Science and Technology University for providing access to SEM and TGA. Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Sh. Co. and East Africa Pharmaceuticals are also acknowledged for the kind gift of paracetamol raw material and excipients.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Author’s contribution
MG, TG and TGM designed the study. MG conducted the experiments, and TG, AB and TGM supervised the study. All the authors analyzed and interpreted the results. MG prepared the first draft of the manuscript and all the authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript for submission.