Nawazish Alam

Drug Interactions of H2 Receptor Antagonists-Ranitidine: A Review

Ranitidine has OTC drug status as well as it is an essential drug by WHO, hence it is popularly selling drug from community and hospital pharmacy. Many prescription and nonprescription drugs were found having drug interaction with ranitidine which may lead to either drug toxicity or therapy failure. This review compiles potential drug interactions of ranitidine with several categories of drugs along with effective measures. Ranitidine is in a group of drugs called histamine-2 blockers. H2 receptor antagonists continue to be prescribed usually for acid –peptic disease. Their safety record finally led to their availability as “Over the Counter” drugs. Histamine is a naturally-occurring chemical that stimulates cells in the stomach (parietal cells) to produce acid. H2-blockers inhibit the action of histamine on the cells, thus reducing the production of acid by the stomach. Ranitidine hydrochloride is prescribed for conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, erosive esophagitis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, heartburn, and other conditions where reduction of gastric secretion and acid output is desirable.

Development, Evaluation and Stability Studies of Zidovudine and Lamivudine (ZILA) Tablet Dosage Form.

Tablets containing zidovudine and lamivudine (ZILA) were prepared by direct compression method. Optimization studies were done for the selection of glidant, lubricant and coating materials. Evaluation of granuleswere done on the basis of preformulation studies. The prepared tablets were evaluated for physicochemical properties. The in- vitro release studies were performed as per USP and compared with marketed product. The release of zidovudine and lamivudine were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ZILA tablets exhibited better release characteristics than the marketed product. Stabilities studies were performed in both blister as well as cold form blister packings. Stabilities studies revealed the suitability of blister package in comparison to the cold form blister packing. From the study it was concluded that the selected composition can be used for the preparation of tablets that can be used for the treatment of HIV-1 and Hepatitis-B after performing studies on animals for its suitability and efficacy.

Interspecies estimation of β-sitosterol by a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography method in genus Ficus and cytotoxic activity against HepG2, HEK-293, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines

Extensive research on Ficus species has shown their excellent cytotoxic potential which motivated the authors for further evaluation of its other species. In this article, the β-sitosterol content in the chloroform extract of the leaves of five Ficus species (Ficus carica [FCCE], Ficus nitida [FNCE], Ficus ingens [FICE], Ficus palmata [FPCE], and Ficus vasta [FVCE]) was estimated by a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method along with cytotoxic activity. The chromatography was performed on glass-backed silica gel 60 F254 HPTLC plates with hexane and ethyl acetate (8:2, v/v) as the mobile phase. The developed plate was derivatized with p-anisaldehyde reagent, scanned, and quantified at λ = 550 nm. It furnished a compact and intense peak of β-sitosterol at RF = 0.17 ± 0.001. The contents of β-sitosterol (μg mg−1 of the dried weight of the extract) in the selected Ficus species were found as: FCCE (1.047 μg mg−1) > FVCE (0.771 μg mg−1) > FNCE (0.372 μg mg−1) > FPCE (0.309 μg mg−1), while it was absent in F. ingens. Methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to compare the cytotoxic potential of all Ficus species against HepG2 (liver), HEK-293 (kidney), MCF-7 (breast), and MDA-MB 231 (breast) cell lines. The FCCE exhibited good cytotoxic property against HepG2, HEK-293, and MDA-MB-231 cells (IC50: 32.5, 41.4, and 47.3 μg mL−1, respectively), while FICE showed against HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cells (IC50: 31.4 and 41.2 μg mL−1, respectively). The remaining Ficus extracts were found to be very less effective or insignificant. The cytotoxic property of FCCE is also supported by the HPTLC estimation of β-sitosterol which is reported to exhibit anticancer properties by interfering with multiple cell signaling pathways, including cell cycle, apoptosis, and proliferation. Our data suggest that the developed HPTLC method can be further employed in the analysis of marketed herbal formulations, and the active Ficus species can be further subjected to isolation of cytotoxic phytoconstituents.

Zika Virus: A Global Pandemic of Colossal Proportions

Zika virus (ZIKV), is a Flavivirus belonging to the family Flaviviridae. It has been related to a variety of diseases which include, Japanese encephalitis, Dengue fever, West Nile and Yellow fever. ZIKV derives its name from the Zika forest of Uganda, which is believed to be the place of its origin. It is believed to have been discovered in a sentinel monkey for the very first time in the year 1947. The mosquito belonging to the species Aedes, which is responsible for the spread of yellow fever, dengue fever and chikungunya, is also responsible for transmitting the ZIKV. As this mosquito is present throughout the world, the threat of it spreading worldwide is rapidly becoming an alarming reality as increased number of travelers return from Brazil to Asia, Europe, the Americas and to other countries, a worldwide endemic can be anticipated. These countries should raise awareness of the potential for ZIKV to spread especially since this emergent disease is not well known and that some questions on potential reservoirs and transmission modes, clinical presentations and complications remain unanswered. Nevertheless, ZIKV has got the potential to turn into a global pandemic of colossal proportions.

Trend in Fast Dissolving Tablets: An Overview

Drug delivery systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated as pharmaceutical scientists acquire a better understanding of the physicochemical and biochemical parameters pertinent to their performance. Over the past three decades, Fast Dissolving Tablets (FDTs) have gained much attention as a preferred alternative to conventional oral dosage form such as tablet and capsules. FDTs are solid unit dosage forms containing medicinal substances which disintegrate or dissolve rapidly usually in a matter of seconds, when they come in contact with saliva, thus obviating the requirement of water during administration. Therefore, these dosage forms have lured the market for a certain section of the patient population which includes dysphagic, bed ridden, psychic, geriatric and paediatric patients. This has encouraged both academia and industry to generate new orally disintegrating formulations and technological approaches in this field. This article focuses on the various formulation aspects, disintegrates employed and technologies developed for FDTs, along with various excipients, evaluation tests, marketed formulations, future prospects and drugs explored in this field.

SOLID PHASE EXTRACTION AND LC-MS/MS METHOD FOR QUANTIFICATION OF VENLAFAXINE AND ITS ACTIVE METABOLITE O-DESMETHYL VENLAFAXINE IN RAT PLASMA

A rapid, simple, sensitive LC-MS/MS method involving a least pretreatment process has been proposed for the quantitative assessment of venlafaxine (VEN) and O-desmethyl venlafaxine (ODV) using cetirizine as an internal standard. The method was validated over the range of 1.03 ng/mL to 453.50 ng/mL (venlafaxine) and 1.32 ng/mL to 585.21 ng/mL (O-desmethyl venlafaxine). The lowest limit of quantification for venlafaxine and O-desmethyl venlafaxine was found to be 1.03 ng/mL and 1.32 ng/mL, respectively. The solid phase extraction procedure provided reliable and reproducible recoveries of the drug as well as its active metabolite with no interference at their retention time. The recovery for all analyzed drugs was found to be in the range of 72.55% to 74.75%. The result indicates that the developed procedure could be considered suitable for carry out simultaneous preclinical pharmacokinetics studies for VEN and ODV.

Drug Interactions of OTC Analgesics-Aspirin: A Review

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin is one of the most important medicines required in basic health care system. The possibility of drug interactions with concomitant use of multiple medications is a clinically relevant issue. Many patients are unaware that over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics can cause potentially severe adverse effects when used in combination with other common medications such as anticoagulants, corticosteroids, or antihypertensive agents. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin significantly increased risk of upper abdominal gastrointestinal adverse events in patients who take traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This risk is dose dependent and additional increased in patients who take more than one NSAID or use NSAIDs in combination with certain other medications. Some NSAIDs may also alleviate the antiplatelet benefits of aspirin and may increase blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Clinicians should be aware of potential drug interactions with OTC analgesics when prescribing new medications. Additionally, patients should be properly counseled on the appropriate and safe use of OTC analgesics and make sure that they know the benefits as well as the potential risks of both prescription and overthe-counter medications they are taking.