THz TDS of Nifedipine in Tablets Made from Cellulose Powder

Nifedipine (NIF) dissolved in acetone was applied onto tablets made from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder. After the solvent evaporated, the crystallinity of NIF loaded into the tablets was examined by terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS), which revealed that NIF remained amorphous. The content of NIF in tablets was subsequently increased by repeating the loading process, which led to a partial recrystallization of NIF. The results suggest that cellulose pressed into tablets can maintain pharmaceuticals amorphous in a similar way as paper films (i.e., smartFilms^®).