Trials of Novel $^{13}C-Urea-Containing$ Capsule for More Economic and Sensitive Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Human Subjects

To develop a $^{13}C-urea-containing$ capsule for more economic and sensitive diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection, the $^{13}C-urea-containing$ capsules were prepared with various additives such as polyethylene glycol, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium lauryl sulfate and citric acid. Their dissolution test and $^{13}C-urea$ Breath Test in human volunteers were then performed. Polyethylene glycol increased the initial dissolution rates of urea and difference ${\sigma}$ $^{13}C$ values from $^{13}C-urea$, while microcrystalline cellulose and sodium lauryl sulfate decreased them. Irrespective of addition of citric acid, the compositions with polyethylene glycol showed higher values from $^{13}C-urea$ compared to a commercial 76 mg $^{13}C-urea-containing$ capsule due to higher initial dissolution rate. The capsules with 38 mg $^{13}C-urea$ and 1.9 mg polyethylene glycol, which showed higher Helicobacter pylori-positive value of about $8{\textperthousand}$ at 10 min, improved the sensitivity of $^{13}C-urea$ in human volunteers. Thus, the $^{13}C-urea-containing$ capsule with polyethylene glycol would be a more economical and sensitive preparation for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.