SOFT CHEWABLE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: ORAL MEDICATED JELLY AND SOFT CHEW

Oral route is most commonly used for administration of medicament since they are economical, easy to administer, & high patient acceptance. Due to difficulty in administration of therapeutic agents to dysphagia patients it becomes necessary to develop a formulation in order to overcome such inconvenience. Jellies are semisolid dosage form they are transparent, non greasy, & can be used internally as well as externally. Its matrix include large amount of water & they resemble to mucilage but possess jelly like consistency. Advantages of chewable formulation are that it does not require water for ingestion, aesthetic appearance, and good texture. Soft chew is solid, single dose formulation. It is used as acute medication since it is mobile drug delivery systems. They are formulated using heating & congealing technique. It serves as novel dosage form with wide applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and over the counter medicines Keywords: Jellies, Soft chew, Nutraceutical

Metal ions as antibacterial agents

Metals like mercury, arsenic, copper and silver have been used in various forms as antimicrobials for thousands of years. The use of metals in treatment was mentioned in Ebers Papyrus (1500BC); i.e, copper to decrease inflammation & iron to overcome anemia. Copper has been registered at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the earliest solid antimicrobial material. Copper is used for the treatment of different E. coli, MRSA, Pseudomonas infections. Advantage of use of silver is it has low toxicity to human’s cells than bacteria.It is less susceptible to gram +ve bacteria than gram –bacteria due to its thicker cell wall. Zinc is found to be active against Streptococcus pneumonia, Campylobacter jejuni. Silver & zinc act against vibrio cholera & enterotoxic E. coli. The use of metals as antibacterial got reduce with discovery of antibiotics in twentieth century, immediately after that antibiotic resistance was seen due to transfer of antibiotic resistance genes by plasmids also known as Resistance Transfer Factors or R-factors. Metal complexes are used to show synergistic activity against bacteria’s like copper & chlorhexidine on dental plaque bacteria, silver nanoparticles & cephalexin against E. coli & S. aureus. Keywords: Metals, Oligodynamic effect, Copper, Silve