Anand Kumar Srivastava

Oral Sustained Delivery of Atenolol from Floating Matrix Tablets—Formulation and In Vitro Evaluation

Floating matrix tablets of atenolol were developed to prolong gastric residence time and increase drug bioavailability. Atenolol was chosen as a model drug because it is poorly absorbed from the lower gastrointestinal tract. The tablets were prepared by direct compression technique, using polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K15M, K4M), guargum (GG), and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC), alone or in combination, and other standard excipients. Tablets were evaluated for physical characteristics viz. hardness, swelling index, floating capacity, thickness, and weight variation. Further, tablets were evaluated for in vitro release characteristics for 8 hr. The effect of effervescent on buoyancy and drug release pattern was also studied. In vitro release mechanism was evaluated by linear regression analysis. GG- and SCMC-based matrix tablets showed significantly greater swelling indices compared with other batches. The tablets exhibited controlled and prolonged drug release profiles while floating over the dissolution medium.

Cross-linked guar gum hydrogel discs for colon-specific delivery of ibuprofen: formulation and in vitro evaluation.

Hydrogel discs of guar gum cross-linked with glutaraldehyde were prepared as vehicles for colon-specific drug delivery. Ibuprofen was chosen as model drug. The discs were evaluated for such parameters as size, shape, weight, and drug loading. Swelling (buffer uptake) and in vitro drug release study, in presence and absence of rat caecal contents, was performed in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4) to evaluate the effect of various formulation parameters like guar gum concentration, amount of cross-linking agent, and cross-linking time on drug release. Cross-linking resulted in significant reduction in swelling of guar gum. Significant increase in drug release was observed in medium containing rat caecal content. Percent drug release increased with increasing glutaraldehyde concentration. Cross-linking time and guar gum concentration did not have any significant effect on drug release in the range studied.

Evaluation of Solid Dispersions of Clofazimine

ABSTRACT Clofazimine (CLF) was formulated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a solid solid dispersion (SSD) to increase the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of the drug. Different molecular weights of PEG (1500, 4000, 6000, and 9000 Da) and PVP (14,000 and 44,000 Da) were used in different drug:carrier weight ratios (1:1, 1:5, and 1:9) and their effect on the dissolution performance of the drug was evaluated in USP Type 2 apparatus using 0.1 N HCl medium. The dissolution rate was compared with corresponding physical mixtures, a currently marketed soft gelatin capsule product, and free CLF. The effect of different methods of preparation (solvent/melt) on the dissolution rate of CLF was evaluated for PEG solid dispersions. Saturation solubility and phase solubility studies were carried out to indicate drug:carrier interactions in liquid state. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to indicate drug:carrier interactions in solid state. Improvement in the drug dissolution rate was observed in solid dispersion formulations as compared to the physical mixtures. The dissolution rate improved with the decreasing weight fraction of the drug in the formulation. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone solid dispersion systems gave a better drug release profile as compared to the corresponding PEG solid dispersions. The effect of molecular weight of the PEG polymers did not follow a definite trend, while PVP 14,000 gave a better dissolution profile as compared to PVP 44,000. Improvement in saturation solubility of the drug in the solid dispersion systems was noted in all cases. Further, IR spectroscopy indicated drug:carrier interactions in solid state in one case and XRD indicated reduction in the crystallinity of CLF in another. It was concluded that solid-dispersion formulations of Clofazimine can be used to design a solid dosage form of the drug, which would have significant advantages over the currently marketed soft gelatin capsule dosage form.

Evaluation of metronidazole nanofibers in patients with chronic periodontitis: A clinical study

Aim: Prevention of periodontal disease progression is the primary goal of periodontal therapy. When conventional therapy is found to be inadequate in achieving periodontal health in chronic periodontitis, local antimicrobial agents are used as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP), which produces encouraging results. In the present study, an attempt was made to develop a low-dose controlled-release delivery system for the treatment of periodontal infections. A new sustained release drug system of poly e-caprolactone (PCL) nanofibers containing metronidazole (MET) was successfully electrospun and evaluated clinically for periodontal diseases. The retentive nanofibres were shown to provide a controlled delivery of the drugs. Materials and Methods: Nanofibers were prepared with MET in PCL by electrospinning technique. The drug-coated nanofibers provided sustained effect up to a period of 11 days (264 h) and followed first-order release. Forty sites in seven patients (four females and three males) with chronic periodontitis (5–8 mm probing depth) were allocated in two experimental treatment groups: Group A treated with SRP + MET nanofibers and Group B treated with SRP alone (control group). All these patients were evaluated clinically for probing depth (PD), plaque index (PI), and gingival index (GI). Results: Both the treatment groups were found to be efficacious in the treatment of periodontal disease as demonstrated by improvement in PD, PI, and GI. Conclusion: Combination of SRP + MET nanofibers (Group A) resulted in added benefits, compared to the control group.

Evaluation of hydrophilic, hydrophobic and waxy matrix excipients for sustained release tablets of Venlafaxine hydrochloride

Objective: Venlafaxine is freely soluble In water and administered orally as hydrochloride salt In two to three divided doses. In the present investigation different release retarding matrices have been evaluated for sustained release of venlafaxine hydrochloride (VH) from the formulated tablets. Materials and methods: Sustained release matrix tablets were formulated using different hydrophilic, hydrophobic and waxy materials as matrix formers. Tableting was done by pre-compression, direct compression and hot melt granulation depending on the type of matrix material used and evaluated for different tests. The formulated tablets were compared with commercial venlafaxine products. In vitro drug dissolution profiles were fitted In different mathematical models to elucidate the release mechanism. Results: Dissolution data showed that commercial formulations Venlor XR® and Venfax PR® released the entire drug withIn 8 h where as the formulated tablets with hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and cetyl alcohol as matrix formers provided sustained release of drug for 14–15 h. The release was found to follow Hixson Crowel and Higuchi kinetics for HPMC and cetyl alcohol tablets, respectively. Conclusion: The developed matrix tablet formulations with HPMC and cetyl alcohol provided sustained release profiles for prolonged periods than commercial formulations.

2.2 Study of Efficacy and Safety of Sitagliptin in Patients of Type 2 Diabetes when Added to Insulin Therapy Alone or With Metformin (373-OR)

SamenvattingPatients included were > 21 yrs age, BMI> 20kg/m2,taking insulin > 15 U/day ± metformin (> 1500 mg/day) and had inadequate control ( HbA1c 7.5 - 11%). Patients of type 1 DM , FPG < 130 mg, cardiac disease, hepatic and renal impairment were excluded. Screened eligible patients continued their current insulin ± metformin regimen and entered a two weeks, single blind placebo run-in period, followed by baseline measurements and then randomized.