Development and Evaluation of Sustained Release Microspheres of Repaglinide for Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Sustained release dosage form is essential for diabetic patients which is marked by continuous therapy along with high margin of safety, patient compliance and fulfill economical features. Repaglinide is a class of meglitinide, a drug of choice to formulate microspheres by utilizing sodium alginate, olibanum gum and pectin in different ratios by using ionic-gelation method. Excellent results were found in rheological behavior and release studies. Microspheres size and percentage yield was found in the range of 694 ?m to 727 ?m and 73% to 75% respectively. SEM revealed that microspheres were discrete, spherical and free flowing. Entrapment efficiency was variable, ranges from 55% to 75%. Uniform drug release was observed in drug release kinetics, followed Higuchi model with non-fickian release. These microspheres proved to be suitable for oral sustained release of repaglinide. Keywords: Repaglinide, Microsphere, Ionic-gelation method, Olibanum gum, Pecti

In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Habbe Sara [Unani Medicine] Prescribed for Febrile Convulsions

Unani system of medicine (Unanipathy) originated in Greece, enriched by Persians and Arabs and now became an integral part of Alternative medicinal systems of Pakistan and India. Habbe Sara (HS) is a Unani medicine prescribed for liver damage and febrile convulsions. The drug was tested for antioxidant activity, as there is growing evidence of role of free radicals in disease progression in liver disorders and epilepsy and benefits of concomitant antioxidant administration. Currently available antiepileptic drugs either exacerbate or decrease free radicals. Habbe Sara was tested for free radical scavenging and metal chelating activity. It showed considerable in vitro antioxidant activity in a dose dependent manner. Keywords: Unani, Ascorbic acid, Disodium ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid, Free radical scavenging, Metal chelatio

Formulation and characterization of Solid dispersion of Nisoldipine by Solvent Evaporation Method

The aim of this study is to improve the solubility of poorly water soluble drug Nisoldipine by formulating the solid dispersion with different water soluble carriers. This will improve the dissolution rate of antihypertensive drug, Nisoldipine. For this purpose, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) k-25and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 were used as carriers and dispersion was carried out by solvent evaporation technique. Formulations were characterized by particle size analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), drug content determination and dissolution studies. The particle size was found in range of 43.52 - 45.12 ?m. FTIR studies showed the compatibility between drug and polymers. DSC study indicated that the drug was in amorphous form which results in better dissolution of the drug from the solid dispersion as compared to the pure drug and physical mixture. Dissolution studies indicated better release for solid dispersions and solubility was also increased 15 folds than pure drug. This could provide the formulation technology with a potential of increased bioavailability of poorly water soluble drug by increasing its dissolution rate. Keywords: Solid Dispersion, nisoldipine, solvent evaporation, PVP k-25, PEG-400

Fabrication and Characterization of Gliclazide Loaded Microcapsules

This study aimed to formulate, characterize and evaluate the Gliclazide (GLZ) microcapsules prepared with sodium alginate, guar gum and pectin in different ratios by ionotropic-gelation method. The microcapsules were evaluated against different parameters such as particle size and shape, Carr's index, Hausner's ratio, rheological studies and drug release kinetics. Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) studies demonstrated the absence of any drug - polymers interaction. Promising characteristics were observed in rheological behavior and release kinetics. The size of microcapsules and percentage yield was in the range of 676 to 727 µm and 69 to 77%, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that microcapsules were discrete, spherical and free flowing. Entrapment efficiency and uniform drug release kinetics were some of the probable characteristics depicting the novel formulation design of Gliclazide microcapsules