FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF EXTENDED RELEASE PELLETS OF PIOGLITAZONE HYDROCHLORIDE USING NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC POLYMERS BY FLUIDIZED BED COATING TECHNIQUE

Objective: The objective of the current work was to develop Pioglitazone hydrochloride (HCl) pellets coated with natural polymer extracted from peas gum and also to compare the drug release profile with coatings containing semi-synthetic and synthetic polymers. Methods: Fluidized bed coating technique was used to develop pellets. A 22 factorial design was employed to study the effect of independent variables (inlet air temperature and spray rate), on dependent variables (percentage entrapment efficiency, percentage friability, and average particle size). Optimization was done by fitting experimental data to the software program. Obtained pellets were subjected to different evaluation parameters which are critical in the development of the dosage form. An in vitro lag phase study was carried out for all batches in simulated gastric fluid (0.1N HCl) for 5 h and in vitro drug release study was carried out for optimized batch (E-2 and P-3) in simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4 phosphate buffer). Results: The optimized batches E-2 and P-3 showed satisfactory percentage entrapment efficiency of 92.66±1.52, percentage friability of 0.57±0.03, and average particle size of 1424±16 μm. All batches maintained lag phase for 5 h in 0.1N HCl. An optimized batch of two different sizes exhibited a burst release within 30 min in a simulated intestinal fluid with no significant difference in release rate constant (*p>0.05) and followed first-order kinetics. Conclusion: Thus, Pioglitazone HCl pulsatile pellets were successfully developed for treating diabetes mellitus by fluidized bed coating technique employing factorial design

FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FAST DISSOLVING FILMS OF ECLIPTA PROSTRATE LEAVES EXTRACT TO TREAT MOUTH ULCERS

Objective: This research focused on the design of fast dissolving herbal film of Eclipta Prostrate leaves extract for mouth ulcers. Methods: The extract of Eclipta Prostrata leaves was formulated as films by solvent casting method using various polymers viz., HPMC E5, HPMC E15, sodium alginate and PVA. The films were designed by using propylene glycol as a plasticizer, SSG as super disintegrate and honey as a sweetener. Furthermore, the films were evaluated for thickness, folding endurance, weight variation, % elongation, surface pH, % moisture uptake, % moisture loss, disintegration and in vitro drug release study. Results: The revealed that all the films were good in appearance and had a smooth texture. Out of all ten formulations, F3 and F5 disintegrated rapidly with a disintegration time of 27 and 32 seconds. The drug release studies revealed that all the formulations had a good release profile, but the F3 formulation showed rapid release i.e. 83.57% in 4 min. The stability studies revealed that the formulations F3 and F5 were found good with non-tackiness, easily separable and disintegrated at 29 and 33 sec respectively with no appearance and drug release. Conclusion: The research revealed that Eclipta prostrate leaves extract can be formulated into oral films for the treatment of mouth ulcers with improved bioavailability and expected patient compliance

Development and in-vitro Evaluation of a Topical Drug Delivery System Containing Betamethazone Loaded Ethyl Cellulose Nanospheres

Purpose: Lipid nanospheres are used for the passive targeting of cosmetic agents to skin, thereby achieving major benefits such as reduction of total dose and avoidance of systemic absorption. The present study was carried out to exploit the feasibility of using polymeric nanospheres as an alternative and cheaper carrier for targeting corticosteroids to the skin. Methods: Nanospheres were prepared from ethyl cellulose by a modified method of desolvation and cross linking. The drug betamethazone was incorporated into nanospheres and the drug: polymer ratio was evaluated to determine the carrier capacity of the polymer. In-vitro release studies of drug-loaded nanospheres were carried out by the centrifugal ultrafiltration method. The kinetics of release was determined and fitted to an empirical equation. The release of drug from drug-loaded nanospheres dispersing in a conventional cream was evaluated. A comparative in-vitro diffusion study was carried out between a commercial brand of cream and the cream incorporating nanospheres. Results: Formulation of nanospheres of betamethazone by a modified method produced discrete particles. Studies on drug:polymer ratio showed a linear relationship between drug concentration and percentage of loading. The in-vitro release of drug-loaded nanospheres was found to be first order. The comparative in-vitro diffusion study between the commercial cream and the formulated cream showed a marked reduction in release rate from nanospheres-bound cream. Conclusion: Formulated topical cream containing nanospheres of betamethazone was found to be a potential dermal delivery system for sustaining the release of the drug. Keywords: Nanospheres, desolvation and cross-linking method, ethyl cellulose, betamethazone, in-vitro diffusion studies.> Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 4 (2) 2005: pp. 495-50

Formulation of Sodium Alginate Nanospheres Containing Amphotericin B for the Treatment of Systemic Candidiasis

Purpose: The aim of this work was to formulate sodium alginate nanospheres of amphotericin B by controlled gellification method and to evaluate the role of the nanospheres as a “passive carrier” in targeted antifungal therapy. Methods: Sodium alginate nanospheres of amphotericin B were prepared by controlled gellification method, and the particle size analysis was carried out by scanning electron microscopy. The carrier capacity of sodium alginate was evaluated in terms of drug to polymer ratio. In vitro release study was carried out on all drug loaded nanospheres by the dialysis method. Release kinetics of drug from different drug loaded nanospheres was also determined. The in vivo antifungal efficacy of nanospheres bound drug vis-à-vis the free drug was evaluated in candidiasis- induced mice models. Results: Preparation of nanospheres through controlled gellification method yielded particles with a size range of 419.6 ± 0.28 nm. Studies on drug to polymer ratio showed a linear relationship between concentration of drug and drug loading capacity. In vitro release kinetic study revealed that the release of drug from the nanospheres followed Fickian diffusion. In vivo studies showed that the nanosphere-bound drug produced a higher antifungal efficacy than the free drug. Conclusion: The formulated sodium alginate nanospheres containing amphotericin B was found to have better antifungal activity when compared to the free drug and also yielded sustained in vitro release. Keywords: Nanospheres, sodium alginate, amphotericin B, controlled gellification method, in vitro & in vivo release > Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 6 (1) 2007: pp. 653-65

Impact of soil fertility characteristics on artificial fertility gradient approach developed using sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) in Alfisols

In the advent of precision agriculture, applying fertilizer based on soil testing is a crucial tool to prescribe nutrient levels for crops, to increase nutrient use efficiency and production. A field experiment was conducted in a farmer's field in the Dindigul district, Southern agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu to ascertain the effect of artificial soil fertility gradient method on soil fertility, green fodder production of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) (var. CO 30) and nutrient absorption. A fertility gradient technique has been investigated to produce fertilizer recommendations for location-specific in red soils (Alfisols, Typic Rhodustalf).  The experimental field was separated into three equal strips: strip I, II, and III, which received applications of the three graded levels of ertilizer N0P0K0, N1P1K1, and N2P2K2, respectively. Urea, single super phosphate, and muriate of potash fertilizers, respectively, were used to apply NPK. As a gradient crop, S. bicolor  was raised. The N1 level was set based on the general fertilizer recommendation of feed sorghum, while the P1 and K1 values were set based on the soil’s ability to fix 100 kg ha-1 of phosphorus and 100 kg ha-1 of potassium, respectively. Plant samples were taken at harvest time, and their NPK content and nutrient uptake were determined. With addition of graded doses of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in Strip I, II & III increased the soil's available N, P & K status substantially in the order of Strip I<II<III and minimize the heterogeneity in the soil population , management strategies employed, and prevailing climate conditions to induce fertility variations in the same field. The outcomes showed that sorghum crop yields for fodder (Strip III – 25.01 t ha-1) and NPK uptake were significantly impacted by the application of graded amounts of NPK fertilizers

Pavement Crack Classifiers: A Comparative Study

Abstract: Non Destructive Testing (NDT) is an analysis technique used to inspect metal sheets and components without harming the product. NDT do not cause any change after inspection; this technique saves money and time in product evaluation, research and troubleshooting. In this study the objective is to perform NDT using soft computing techniques. Digital images are taken; Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) extracts features from these images. Extracted features are then fed into the classifiers which classifies them into images with and without cracks. Three major classifiers: Neural networks, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Linear classifiers are taken for the classification purpose. Performances of these classifiers are assessed and the best classifier for the given data is chosen

Quantum Yield Calculations for Strongly Absorbing Chromophores

This article demonstrates that a commonly-made assumption in quantum yield calculations may produce errors of up to 25% in extreme cases and can be corrected by a simple modification to the analysis.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by Journal of Fluorescenc

ESTABLISHMENT OF VICARIOUS CALIBRATION/VALIDATION FACILITY FOR SPACE BORNE HIGH AND MID RESOLUTION OPTICAL SENSORS

Vicarious calibration refers to methods that make use of “invariant” natural targets of the Earth for the post-launch calibration of sensors. This process of calibration is useful for initial phase orbit operation of sensor and thereafter for validation during its operational span. This method of periodic evaluation of radiometric and geometric performance of the space-borne optical sensors and validation of derived radiance/reflectance is to ensure availability of consistent and accurate data products to the user community. This paper describes one such Cal/Val facility’s design, engineering aspects and realization at National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Shadnagar. The target materials used for filling the Cal/Val site are studied for its reflectance. These targets have reflectance ranging from 9% to 53%, in the VNIR (Visible and Near Infra-Red) region. This paper also describes instruments used for calibration and homogeneity studies of targets for its invariance since operationalisation (January 2016). The last section of this paper is about reflectance based absolute radiometric calibration of medium resolution Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) sensor (Resourcesat and Cartosat series) using RT model and edge based LSF/MTF estimation of high resolution sensor carried out using the Cal/Val facility