Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries

Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries

Application of nanocellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in coating Capecitabine tablets for drug delivery to the colon

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Shaker Ghasabsaraei 1
Mohammad Azadfallah 2
Mehdi Esfandyari-Manesh 3
Saeed Manouchehri 4
Ehsan Aboutaleb 4
1 Wood and Paper Science and Technology Department - University of Tehran - Karaj - Iran
2 Department of Wood and Paper Science and Technology - Faculty of Natural Resources - University of Tehran
3 Nanotechnology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Guilan University of Medical Sciences , Rasht, Iran
10.22034/ijwp.2026.2085062.1768
Abstract
Problem Definition and Purposes: The use of natural polymers for drug delivery is an active area of research due to their ease of availability, relative cheapness, potential for degradation, and biocompatibility. In this study, the potential of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), cellulose nanofibers (CNF), and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as tablet coatings in a colonic drug delivery system was investigated.
Materials and Methods: First, tablets of Capecitabine compound with a radius and thickness of 1.5 mm were made. Then, these tablets were coated in a double layer with cellulose nanocrystals and cellulose nanofibers with a thickness of 50-200 μm as the bottom layer and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose with a thickness of 100 μm as the top layer. Then, the dissolution of the tablets was investigated by simulating the acidic conditions of the stomach and simulating the neutral and near-alkaline pH conditions of the small intestine. The tablets that remained intact under these conditions were tested for solubility under microbial conditions similar to the large intestine and without microbes. Also, the tensile strength and friability of the manufactured tablets were measured as important quality indicators.
Results: The dissolution test results showed that Capecitabine tablets coated with cellulose nanocrystals and cellulose nanofibers with a thickness of 200 μm in the first layer disintegrated under microbial conditions in about one hour, but in germ-free conditions, all samples remained intact at this coating layer thickness and did not disintegrate. This indicates that microbial conditions play an effective role in the degradation and disintegration of the cellulose nanocrystal and cellulose nanofiber coating layers. Also, nanocellulose-based coatings - both CNC and CNF - significantly increased the tensile strength of pharmaceutical tablets, and this improvement was directly proportional to the coating thickness. The amount of tablet friability was a function of the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose top coating layer and all were measured in a similar range.
Conclusion: In general, the results of this study show that coating Capecitabine tablets with nanocellulose, both in the form of nanocrystals and nanofibers with a thickness of 200 μm as the first layer and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose with a thickness of 100 μm as the top layer, has the ability to protect the Capecitabine compound from the destructive conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract. This new method can serve as an effective drug delivery system to the colon. In addition, the nanocellulose network significantly improved the mechanical integrity of the coated tablets.
Keywords: Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; Cellulose nanocrystals; Cellulose nanofibers; Drug delivery; Capecitabine; Tablet; Coating
Keywords
Drug Delivery
Tablet
Coating
Nanocellulose
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries
Volume 17, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 295-306