Micronization of the officinal component baicalin by SEDS-PA process

Application of micronizing technologies in processing Chinese herbal medicines is very important to improve the forms of prepared Chinese herbal medicines and promote their therapeutic efficacy. Baicalin, a major active component of the typical Chinese herb medicine Scullateria baicallensis Georgi, was micronized using the Solution Enhanced Dispersion by Supercritical fluids though Prefilming Atomization (SEDS-PA) process with the aim of evaluating the efficiency of applying supercritical fluid precipitation technologies in Chinese herb medicine. This study has shown that acicula or rod-like baicalin crystals with Particle Size (PS) of about 20x100 pm were successfully micronized by the SEDS-PA process to long rod-like, twisted fiber-like or fibrous net-like microparticles with PS of 0.1-2.2 pm in width within the range of experiments performed. It was found that a substantial reduction of baicalin microparticles' sizes could lead to a marked increase of adhesions among them and subsequent microparticles agglomeration. With the increase of supercritical CO2 flow rate and the decrease of solution concentration and solution flow rate, smaller and much more agglomerated microparticles were obtained. Increasing pressure led to formation of smaller microparticles. A larger tendency of particles agglomeration was produced at a higher temperature. (C) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.