Cross-linking of Gelatin Capsules and Its Relevance to Their in Vitro-in Vivo Performance

The present review deals with the chemistry of gelatin cross-linking under conditions that are relevant to pharmaceutical situations. Mechanistic rationalizations are offered to explain gelatin cross-linking under "stress" conditions. These include elevated temperature and high humidity conditions. In addition, the chemical interactions between gelatin and aldehydes, such as formaldehyde and other formulation excipients, are discussed. The literature on the in vitro and in vivo dissolution and bioavailability of a drug from stressed gelatin capsules and gelatin-coated tablets is reviewed. Cross-linking phenomena, occurring in stressed hard gelatin capsules and gelatin-coated tablets, could cause considerable changes in the in vitro dissolution profiles of drugs. However, in a few cases, the bioavailability of the drug from the stressed capsules is not significantly altered when compared to that obtained from freshly packed capsules. It is concluded that, as with other drug-delivery systems, careful attention should be paid to the purity and chemical reactivity of all excipients that are to be encapsulated in a gelatin shell. It is suggested that in vitro dissolution tests of hard gelatin-containing dosage forms be conducted in two stages, one in a dissolution medium without enzymes and secondly in dissolution media containing enzymes (pepsin at pH 1.2 or pancreatin at pH 7.2, representing gastric and intestinal media, respectively) prior to in vivo evaluation. Such in vitro tests may constitute a better indication of the in vivo behavior of gelatin-encapsulated formulations. Furthermore, testing for contamination with formaldehyde as well as low molecular weight aldehydes should be a standard part of excipient evaluation procedures.