Madhabhai M. Patel

Gastroretentive drug delivery system of ranitidine hydrochloride: formulation and in vitro evaluation.

The purpose of this research was to prepare a gastroretentive drug delivery system of ranitidine hydrochloride. Guar gum, xanthan gum, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose were evaluated for gel-forming properties. Sodium bicarbonate was incorporated as a gas-generating agent. The effects of citric acid and stearic acid on drug release profile and floating properties were investigated. The addition of stearic acid reduces the drug dissolution due to its hydrophobic nature. A 32 full factorial design was applied to systemically optimize the drug release profile. The amounts of citric acid anhydrous (X1) and stearic acid (X2) were selected as independent variables. The times required for 50% (t50) and 80% drug dissolution (t80), and the similarity factor f2 were selected as dependent variables. The results of the full factorial design indicated that a low amount of citric acid and a high amount of stearic acid favors sustained release of ranitidine hydrochloride from a gastroretentive formulation. A theoretical dissolution profile was generated using pharmacokinetic parameters of ranitidine hydrochloride. The similarity factor f2 was applied between the factorial design batches and the theoretical dissolution profile. No significant difference was observed between the desired release profile and batches F2, F3, F6, and F9. Batch F9 showed the highest f2 (f2=75) among all the batches, and this similarity is also reflected in t50 (∼214 minutes) and t80 (∼537 minutes) values. These studies indicate that the proper balance between a release rate enhancer and a release rate retardant can produce a drug dissolution profile similar to a theoretical dissolution profile.

Formulation design and optimization of mouth dissolve tablets of nimesulide using vacuum drying technique

The purpose of this research was to develop mouth dissolve tablets of nimesulide. Granules containing nimesulide, camphor, crospovidone, and lactose were prepared by wet granulation technique. Camphor was sublimed from the dried granules by exposure to vacuum. The porous granules were then compressed. Alternatively, tablets were first prepared percentage friability, wetting time, and disintegration time. In the investigation, a 32 full factorial design was used to investigate the joint influence of 2 formulation variables: amount of camphor and crospovidone. The results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that for obtaining a rapidly disintegrating dosage form, tablets should be prepared using an optimum concentration of camphor and a higher percentage of crospovidone. A contour plot is also presented to graphically represent the effect of the independent variables on the disintegration time and percentage friability. A checkpoint batch was also prepared to prove the validity of the evolved mathematical model. Sublimation of camphor from tablets resulted in superior tablets as compared with the tablets prepared from granules that were exposed to vacuum. The systematic formulation approach helped in understanding the effect of formulation processing variables.

Formulation and evaluation of mucoadhesive glipizide microspheres.

The purpose of this research was to formulate and system-atically evaluate in vitro and in vivo performances of mucoadhesive microspheres of glipizide. Glipizide microspheres containing chitosan were prepared by simple emulsification phase separation technique using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. Results of preliminary trials indicate that volume of cross-linking agent, time for cross-linking, polymer-to-drug ratio, and speed of rotation affected characteristics of microspheres. Microspheres were discrete, spherical, and free flowing. The microspheres exhibited good mucoadhesive property in the in vitro wash-off test and also showed a high percentage drug entrapment efficiency. A 32 full factorial design was employed to study the effect of independent variables, polymer-to-drug ratio (X1), and stirring speed (X2) on dependent variables percentage mucoadhesion, t80, drug entrapment efficiency, and swelling index. The best batch exhibited a high drug entrapment efficiency of 75% and a swelling index of 1.42; percentage mucoadhesion after 1 hour was 78%. The drug release was also sustained for more than 12 hours. The polymer-to-drug ratio had a more significant effect on the dependent variables. In vivo testing of the mucoadhesive microspheres to albino Wistar rats demonstrated significant hypoglycemic effect of glipizide.

Effect of hydrophilic polymers on buccoadhesive Eudragit patches of propranolol hydrochloride using factorial design.

The purpose of this study was to develop formulations and systematically evaluate in vitro performances of buccoadhesive patches of propranolol hydrochloride using the hydrophobic polymer Eudragit L-100 as the base matrix. The hydrophilic polymers Carbopol 934 and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) K30 were incorporated into the Eudragit patches, to provide the patches with bioadhesive properties and to modify the rate of drug release. The patches, which were prepared by the solvent casting method, were smooth and elegant in appearance; were uniform in thickness, weight, and drug content; showed no visible cracks; and showed good folding endurance. A 32 full factorial design was employed to study the effect of independent variables like hydrophilic polymers Carbopol 934 and PVP K30, which significantly influenced characteristics like swelling index, ex vivo mucoadhesive strength, in vitro drug release, and ex vivo residence time. A stability study of optimized Eudragit patches was done in natural human saliva; it was found that both drug and buccal patches were stable in human saliva. It can be concluded that the present buccal formulation can be an ideal system to improve the bioavailability of the drug by avoiding hepatic first-pass metabolism.

Formulation, evaluation, and comparison of bilayered and multilayered mucoadhesive buccal devices of propranolol hydrochloride

The purpose of this research work was to establish mucoadhesive buccal devices of propranolol hydrochloride (PRH) in the forms of bilayered and multilayered tablets. The tablets were prepared using sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) and Carbopol-934 (CP) as bioadhesive polymers to impart mucoadhesion and ethyl cellulose (EC) to act as an impermeable backing layer. Buccal devices were evaluated by different parameters such as weight uniformity, content uniformity, thickness, hardness, surface pH, swelling index, ex vivo mucoadhesive strength, ex vivo mucoadhesion time, in vitro drug release, and in vitro drug permeation. As compared with bilayered tablets, multilayered tablets showed slow release rate of drug with improved ex vivo bioadhesive strength and enhanced ex vivo mucoadhesion time. The mechanism of drug release was found to be non-Fickian diffusion (value of n between 0.5 and 1.0) for both the buccal devices. The stability of drug in both the optimized buccal devices was tested for 6 hours in natural human saliva; both the buccal devices were found to be stable in natural human saliva. The present study concludes that mucoadhesive buccal devices of PRH can be a good way to bypass the extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism and to improve the bioavailability of PRH.

Design and characterization of chitosan-containing mucoadhesive buccal patches of propranolol hydrochloride.

Design and characterization of chitosan-containing mucoadhesive buccal patches of propranolol hydrochloride Mucoadhesive buccal patches containing propranolol hydrochloride were prepared using the solvent casting method. Chitosan was used as bioadhesive polymer and different ratios of chitosan to PVP K-30 were used. The patches were evaluated for their physical characteristics like mass variation, drug content uniformity, folding endurance, ex vivo mucoadhesion strength, ex vivo mucoadhesion time, surface pH, in vitro drug release, and in vitro buccal permeation study. Patches exhibited controlled release for a period of 7 h. The mechanism of drug release was found to be non-Fickian diffusion and followed the first-order kinetics. Incorporation of PVP K-30 generally enhanced the release rate. Swelling index was proportional to the concentration of PVP K-30. Optimized patches (F4) showed satisfactory bioadhesive strength of 9.6 ± 2.0 g, and ex vivo mucoadhesion time of 272 minutes. The surface pH of all patches was between 5.7 and 6.3 and hence patches should not cause irritation in the buccal cavity. Patches containing 10 mg of drug had higher bioadhesive strength with sustained drug release as compared to patches containing 20 mg of drug. Good correlation was observed between the in vitro drug release and in vitro drug permeation with a correlation coefficient of 0.9364. Stability study of optimized patches was done in human saliva and it was found that both drug and buccal patches were stable.

Nanorobot: a versatile tool in nanomedicine.

Miniaturizing in chip technology, optics, micro mechanics, medicine, gene and biotechnology requires highly precise positioning techniques. The motivation for the new manipulation technology is the desire to enter the micro- and nanoworld not only by viewing but also acting, altering micro- and nanosized objects. A new era on medicine are expected to happen in the coming years. Due to the advances in the field of nanotechnology, nanodevice manufacturing has been growing gradually. From such achievements in nanotechnology and recent results in biotechnology and genetics, the first operating biological nanorobots are expected to appear in the coming 5 years and more complex diamondoid based nanorobots will become available in about 10 years. In terms of time, it means a very near better future with significant improvements in medicine.

Synthesis and characterization of pH-sensitive hydrogel composed of carboxymethyl chitosan for colon targeted delivery of ornidazole.

In the present study, carboxymethyl chitosan was prepared from chitosan, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde and evaluated in vitro as a potential carrier for colon targeted drug delivery of ornidazole. Ornidazole was incorporated at the time of crosslinking of carboxymethyl chitosan. The chitosan was evaluated for its degree of deacetylation (DD) and average molecular weight; which were found to be 84.6% and 3.5×10(4) Da, respectively. The degree of substitution on prepared carboxymethyl chitosan was found to be 0.68. All hydrogel formulations showed more than 85% and 74% yield and drug loading, respectively. The swelling behaviour of prepared hydrogels checked in different pH values, 1.2, 6.8 and 7.4, indicated pH responsive swelling characteristic with very less swelling at pH 1.2 and quick swelling at pH 6.8 followed by linear swelling at pH 7.4 with slight increase. In vitro release profile was carried out at the same conditions as in swelling and drug release was found to be dependant on swelling of hydrogels and showed biphasic release pattern with non-fickian diffusion kinetics at higher pH. The carboxymethylation of chitosan, entrapment of drug and its interaction in prepared hydrogels were checked by FTIR, (1)H NMR, DSC and p-XRD studies, which confirmed formation of carboxymethyl chitosan from chitosan and absence of any significant chemical change in ornidazole after being entrapped in crosslinked hydrogel formulations. The surface morphology of formulation S6 checked before and after dissolution, revealed open channel like pores formation after dissolution.

Stomach Specific Anti-Helicobacter Pylori Therapy: Preparation and Evaluation of Amoxicillin-Loaded Chitosan Mucoadhesive Microspheres

The purpose of this research was to formulate and systematically evaluate in vitro and in vivo performances of mucoadhesive amoxicillin microspheres for the potential use of treating gastric and duodenal ulcers, which were associated with Helicobacter pylori. Amoxicillin mucoadhesive microspheres containing chitosan as mucoadhesive polymer were prepared by simple emulsification phase separation technique using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. Results of preliminary trials indicate that volume of cross-linking agent, time for cross-linking, polymer-to-drug ratio, and speed of rotation affected characteristics of microspheres. Microspheres were discrete, spherical, free flowing and also showed high percentage drug entrapment efficiency. In vitro mucoadhesive test showed that amoxicillin mucoadhesive microspheres adhered more strongly to gastric mucous layer and could retain in gastrointestinal tract for an extended period of time. A 3(2) full factorial design was employed to study the effect of independent variables, polymer-to-drug ratio (X(1)), and stirring speed (X(2)) on dependent variables i.e. percentage mucoadhesion, t(80), drug entrapment efficiency, particle size and swelling index. The best batch exhibited a high drug entrapment efficiency of 70 % and a swelling index of 1.39; percentage mucoadhesion after 1 h was 79 %. The drug release was also sustained for more than 12 h. The polymer-to-drug ratio had a more significant effect on the dependent variables. The morphological characteristics of the mucoadhesive microspheres were studied using scanning electron microscopy. In vitro release test showed that amoxicillin released slightly faster in pH 1.0 hydrochloric acid than in pH 7.8 phosphate buffer. In vivo H. pylori clearance tests were also carried out by administering amoxicillin mucoadhesive microspheres and powder, to H. pylori infectious Wistar rats under fed conditions at single dose or multiple dose(s) in oral administration. The results showed that amoxicillin mucoadhesive microspheres had a better clearance effect than amoxicillin powder. In conclusion, the prolonged gastrointestinal residence time and enhanced amoxicillin stability resulting from the mucoadhesive microspheres of amoxicillin might make contribution complete eradication of H. pylori.

Physicochemical Characterization and Dissolution Study of Solid Dispersions of Lovastatin with Polyethylene Glycol 4000 and Polyvinylpyrrolidone K30

Solid dispersions in water-soluble carriers have attracted considerable interest as a means of improving the dissolution rate, and hence possibly bioavailability, of a range of hydrophobic drugs. The aim of the present study was to improve the solubility and dissolution rate of a poorly water-soluble drug, Lovastatin, by a solid dispersion technique. Solid dispersions were prepared by using polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000) and polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30) in different drug-to‐carrier ratios. Dispersions with PEG 4000 were prepared by fusion-cooling and solvent evaporation, whereas dispersions containing PVP K30 were prepared by solvent evaporation technique. These new formulations were characterized in the liquid state by phase solubility studies and in the solid state by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The aqueous solubility of Lovastatin was favored by the presence of both polymers. The negative values of the Gibbs free energy and enthalpy of transfer explained the spontaneous transfer from pure water to the aqueous polymer environment. Solid-state characterization indicated Lovastatin was present as amorphous material and entrapped in polymer matrix. In contrast to the very slow dissolution rate of pure Lovastatin, the dispersion of the drug in the polymers considerably enhanced the dissolution rate. This can be attributed to improved wettability and dispersibility, as well as decrease of the crystalline and increase of the amorphous fraction of the drug. Solid dispersion prepared with PVP showed the highest improvement in wettability and dissolution rate of Lovastatin. Even physical mixture of Lovastatin prepared with both polymers also showed better dissolution profile than that of pure Lovastatin. Tablets containing solid dispersion prepared with PEG and PVP showed significant improvement in the release profile of Lovastatin compared with tablets containing Lovastatin without PEG or PVP.