Jitendra S Patel

Herbal medicines have been used all over the world from last many years. Especially in India, there is wide market for herbals. The new approach in herbals as nanotechnology  have a sound future which has a scientific approach to deliver the component in sustained manner which increase the patient compliance and avoid repeated administration. By developing new formulation as nano herbal medicines like nanofiber, nanoparticles, dendrimers, herbal market get good feedback. So many chronic diseases like cancer, wound healing can be cured by nano herbals more effectively as compared to allopathic medicines. The next most important step for herbal formulations is their standardization which establish consistent biological activity, consistent chemical profile or simply a quality assurance program. The article focused on the various techniques employed in preparation, identification and characterization of herbal drugs.

Flurbiprofen Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) drug has half-life of about 3 to 6 hrs. The present study aims to formulate and evaluate poorly soluble drug Flurbiprofen using solid dispersion based tablet. Various studies have been done in attempt to improve the solubility’s of Poorly water soluble drugs. The advent of solid dispersion technique provides a unique approach to particle size reduction and increased rates of dissolution. The compatibility studies of the drug and polymers were studied by IR spectroscopy and results suggested no interaction between drug and polymers. Solid dispersions of Flurbiprofen were prepared by common solvent method using Hydroxy Propyl Cellulose (HPC), Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone K-30(PVP) and Mannitol Fast dissolution observed with Mannitol as compared to HPC and PVP. Formulations F3, F6 and F9 containing PVP, HPC and Mannitol along with drug in 1: 6 ratios were used to formulate tablets. Formulation F9 containing drug and Mannitol showed highest dissolution of 81.11% in 1 hour  due to amorphous nature of drug in presence of polymer. Formulation F3 containing drug and PVP in 1 : 6 ratio showed 73.05% drug release  because of the formation of aggregates. Formulation F6 containing drug and HPC showed only 61.65% drug release due to the crystalline of the drug, low solubility of the drug. Results indicate that formulations prepared by the technique of solid dispersion showed increase in the dissolution of Poorly water soluble drug. Key word: Solid dispersion; Flurbiprofen; Micronization; Compatibility studies.

Timolol maleate, an antihypertensive drug has a half-life of 2-3 hours and a bioavailability of about 60%. It undergoes extensive first pass metabolism. The present study aims to formulate and evaluate Transdermal drug delivery for sustained release of Timolol maleate. The partition coefficient in octanol /water system indicates that the drug is suitable for Transdermal drug delivery. The Physicochemical compatibility of the drug and polymers was studied by IR spectroscopy and the results suggested no physicochemical incompatibility between drugs and the polymers. Total 20 formulations were prepared. The transdermal patches were prepared using different polymers like Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose, Polyvinyl alcohol and Poly vinyl pyrrolidine in varied ratios, plasticizers like propylene glycol and various permeation enhancers. The patches were evaluated for various parameters like Thickness, weight variation, Water-Vapor Permeability, Tensile Strength, Percent Moisture Uptake, Drug Content, Diffusion and Dissolution studies. The interaction among various components of the matrices was studied by performing Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The Optimized formulation containing PVA: PVP (F 19) in the ratio of 3:2 and containing 30 % propylene glycol as a plasticizer and 2 % Hyaluronidase as a permeation enhancer gave a maximum release 51.68 % (4.75 mg) over a period of 8 hours. Stability studies were carried out as per ICH guidelines and formulations were found to be Stable. Key words: Transdermal patches; Timolol maleate; Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC); Infrared spectroscopy (IR); Partition co-efficient.