A dosage design of mitomycin C tablets containing finely powdered green tea

We previously reported a method of preparing finely powdered green tea (PT), powder characteristics and release profiles of green tea components from PT. In this study, we performed formulation studies of PT tablets containing mitomycin C (MMC), expecting its combined antitumor effects with mitomycin C and green tea components. The hardness of PT tablets was low (22-50 N) and the disintegration time was about 180 min regardless of hardness or tabletting pressure (15-200 MPa). Perfiller(R)-101 improved tablet characteristics practically into 90 N of hardness and 18.5 min of disintegration time. Release rates of MMC, caffeine and EGCG from the tablets were similar, and depended on the disintegration time. PT and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) increased significantly in MMC uptake in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells as compared with the control dose-dependently in vitro. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.