CAPSULE- PHARMACEUTICS NOTES

 CAPSULE- PHARMACEUTICS NOTES

CONTENTS 

1.DEFINITION OF CAPSULE
2. ADVANTAGES\ DISADVANTAGES OF CAPSULE
3.TYPES OF CAPSULE
4. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HARD GELATIN AND SOFT GELATIN CAPSULE
5. DIFFERENT SIZES OF CAPSULES
6. FILLING OF CAPSULE 
7. HANDLING AND STORAGE OF CAPSULE
8. SPECIAL APPLICATIONS OF CAPSULE
9.PREPARATION OF GELATIN

DEFINITION OF CAPSULE :- 

Capsules are solid dosage form. the drug substance is enclosed in a water soluble shell 

- capsule shell made of gelatin   

- capsule are available both as -  

Hard capsule 

Soft capsule

ADVANTAGES \ DISADVANTAGES OF CAPSULE 

ADVANTAGES  OF CAPSULE 

• THEY ARE ECONOMICAL
• THEY ARE EASY TO HANDLE AND CARRY
• THEY ARE ATTRACTIVE IN APPEARANCE
• MICRO-ENCAPSULATION PROVIDES THE SUSTAINED RELEASED DOSAGE FORM 
• CAPSULE ARE THERAPEUTICALLY INERT 
• CAPSULE ARE AVAILABLE IN VARIOUS SIZE AND SHAPE OR SUITABLE FOR ADMINISTRATING IN ORAL ROUTE 

DISADVANTAGES OF CAPSULE

• THE HYGROSCOPIC DRUGS CAN NOT BE FILLED IN CAPSULE 
• THE CONCENTRATED PREPARATIONS WHICH NEED PREVIOUS DILUTION ARE UNSUITABLE FOR CAPSULE BECAUSE CAUSE IRRITATION IN STOMACH

TYPES OF CAPSULE 

A. Hard gelatin capsule

B. Soft gelatin capsule

A. Hard gelatin capsule   

• these are used for administration of solid medicament
• the capsule shell is prepared from gelatin 
• colour and titanium dioxide to make it opaque
• it consists of two parts   
• A- BODY
• B- CAP 
• the powdered material is filled into the cylindrical body of capsule 
• the cap is placed over it 

EXCIPIENTS USED IN THE FILLING OF CAPSULE - 

1. filling solid medicaments in a powder form       into the body of a hard gelatin capsule 
2. following additives include in  formulation

1. DILUENTS -

• the diluents is needed in certain case when the quantity of the medicaments is too small in bulk 
• the commonly used diluents are lactose , mannitol, sorbitol , starch etc 
• the quantities of diluents are depends on the dose of the medicament and the capsule size

2.ABSORBENTS -  

• some time the medicament are physically incompatible with each other. 

example- eutectic substances or hygroscopic substances

• in such cases absorbents as a oxides and carbonates of magnesium and calcium and kaolin 
• they are added to the powdered drug. 
• these materials act as a protective absorbents 

3. GLIDANTS - 

• a regular flow of powder into the automatic capsule machine glidants are mixed with the medicaments 
•  the various glidants used for the purpose are talc, magnesium stearate and calcium stearate

4. ANTIDUSTING COMPOUNDS - 

• during the filling of capsule an automatic filling machine produce lot of dust.
• the dust is inhaled by the operator of the machine .
• it can cause a serious health hazards 
• to avoid this some antidusting components like edible oils are added to the formulation. 

METHODS OF FILLING THE HARD GELATIN CAPSULE 

The capsule can be filled by hand or a semi automatic filling machine 

->Capsule filling machine [ hand operated ]

1. a bed having 200-300 holes

2. a loading tray having 200-300 holes 

3. a powder tray

4. a pin plate having 200-300 pins 

5. a sealing plate having a rubber top

6. a lever 

7. a cam handle 

PROCEDURE

• the empty capsules are filled in the loading tray and placed over the bed
• the cam handle is operated to separate the capsule caps from their bodies
• the powder tray is placed in a proper position the tray filled accurate quantity of powder with scraper 
• the excess of powder is collected on the powder tray 
• the pin plate is lowered and the filled powder is pressed by  moving the pin downwards 
• after pressing the pin plate is raised and the remaining powder is filled into the bodies of the capsule
• the powder tray removed after its complete filling 
• the loading tray is then removed and the filled capsule are collected 
• 200 hole machine  fill 5000 capsules 
• 300 hole machine fill 7500 capsules

CLEANING OF CAPSULE -

• All capsules they have been filled by hand or machine will require cleaning 
• small quantities of capsules can be clean with soft cloth 
• large quantities capsules are clean with crystalline sodium chloride 
• the capsules are then rolled on cloths covered surface 

SEALING OF CAPSULE - 

• the capsules are then sealed to ensure that the medicaments may not occur out of the capsule due to rough handling
• they can be done by banding them with molten gelatin, laid around the joint in a strip and dried 
• capsule can be sealed by spot welding

B. SOFT GELATIN CAPSULE -  

• these are used for administration of liquid medicaments 
• soft gelatin capsules are available in round shape , oval shape and tube like shape 
• they are made from gelatin 
• the gelatin is plasticized by the addition of glycerin and sorbitol etc 
• soft gelatin shell may contain a preservative to prevent the growth of fungi 
• they are use to enclose liquid medicaments - oils ,suspension , food concentrates and opthalmic products

METHOD OF FILLING OF SOFT GELATIN CAPSULES 

soft gelatin capsule are generally filled mechanically 

now days, a rotary machine is used for this purpose 

ROTARY MACHINE 

-in a rotary machine , the soft gelatin capsules are prepared and then filled immediately with the liquid medicaments 

PROCEDURE 

• the machine consists two hoppers 
• liquid gelatin mixture is placed in one hopper 
• the liquid medicaments placed other hopper 
• in machine two rotating dies which rotate in opposite directions 
• when fluid gelatin mixture enters into the machine from the hopper
• its produce two contentious ribbons 
• the ribbon come over the rotating of dies from opposite directions and enter in between the dies 
• half shell of the capsule is formed 
• the measured quantity of the medicaments is filled into with the stoke of pump
• the other half of the capsules is formed 
• the two halves of the capsules are sealed together by the heat and pressure 
• the capsules formed are washed thoroughly and dried 

DIFFERENT SIZES OF CAPSULES

PREPARATION OF GELATIN

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