Activated Carbon Used in Pharmaceutical Industry

Activated carbon not only has excellent adsorption performance and the pore structure can be controlled within a certain range; it also has good biocompatibility and no toxic side effects. In the past, it was mainly used orally to stop diarrhea and prevent poison absorption. With the use of adsorbents for hemoperfusion and artificial organs The development of adsorption preparations specifically adsorbs medium molecular substances to treat various diseases. That is, activated carbon is used as a carrier to adsorb some substances that have strong first-pass effects, short half-lives, great damage to normal cells, and are prone to addiction (such as anti-cancer, chemotherapy, and analgesia). ) of the drug to achieve the purpose of slowly releasing the drug and improving the therapeutic effect.

Application of activated carbon in pharmaceutical industry

Firstly, Extensive adsorption and specific adsorption in blood purification: The application of adsorbents in clinical medicine has developed into an important branch of biomedical engineering. It also provides new treatment methods for clinical medicine and opens the door to overcome many major, The door to difficult diseases and even "incurable diseases" has become one of the important symbols of hospital modernization. At present, the typical application of adsorbents in medicine is blood purification. Blood purification is an important method to remove poisonous and pathogenic substances from the blood.

Secondly, Assisting in surgery and interventional treatment of malignant tumors: Activated carbon has excellent lymphatic tropism and adsorption properties, can adsorb anti-cancer drugs, and has functional sustained-release properties. On the one hand, activated carbon-adsorbed anticancer drug preparations can be directionally distributed in lymph nodes and maintain high concentrations for a long time; on the other hand, activated carbon can stain lymph nodes black while migrating to lymph nodes, thereby guiding lymph node dissection surgery and removing metastatic lymph nodes. Because activated carbon has the characteristics of functional sustained release, lymphatic tropism, local retention, adsorption to tumors and lymph nodes, and low toxic and side effects, its clinical application prospects are increasingly broad.

Thirdly, Develop new application fields: In recent years, new clinical applications of activated carbon have been continuously reported. During general anesthesia surgery, activated carbon is used to filter in a closed loop to absorb excess retained anesthetic gas drugs. The recovery time of the experimental group was significantly shorter than that of the control group. Japan uses AST-120, an adsorbent material trial-produced by spherical activated carbon, for oral administration (diameter 0.2~0.3mm) to experimental dogs with liver and kidney disorders. After taking it, their lifespan is extended. This spherical activated carbon adsorbs disorder-causing substances and eliminates them from the body, thereby reducing the rate at which poisons accumulate in the body.

Lastly, Hemoperfusion treatment: Hemoperfusion for severe poisoning is to remove poisons dissolved in the blood through the adsorption of adsorbents in the perfusion tank. It is a recognized method to treat various drug poisonings and save the lives of patients. The adsorbents commonly used clinically are mainly activated carbon and resin.