Contribution of scintigraphy to verify the reliability of different preparation processes for enteric coated capsules.

The aim of this work was to use radiopharmaceuticals such as technetium (99mTc) and indium (DTPA-Ca111In) to visualize, with a gamma-camera, the disintegration area and time of 3 types of enteric coated hard gelatin capsules (obtained by 3 different preparation processes) and thus, to verify that they are really resistant in gastric fluids and soluble in intestinal zones. Results are well correlated with those previously obtained in vitro (disintegration, dissolution) and in vivo (profiles of plasmatic concentrations versus time).