Sandhya Jaiswal

The present review highlights human vagina as a valuable route of drug delivery due to its large permeation area, rich vascularization, avoidance of first pass metabolism and relatively low enzymatic activity designed for achieving both local and systemic applications. Vagina is the best route used for administration of drugs like antifungal, contraceptives steroids, peptides and antifungal drugs. The rate and extent of drug absorption through vaginal route may fluctuate depending upon vaginal physiology, age of patients, stage of menstrual cycle, pathological conditions, and formulation factors. This route offers the ease of convenience, good blood supply, absence of GIT and hepatic first pass metabolism and permeability to large molecular weight drugs. Several drawbacks like personal hygiene, gender specificity, cultural sensitivity and local irritation need to be considered while the designing the vaginal formulation. Thus, purpose of this study is to provide the summary of advances undergone in the field of vaginal drug delivery currently available in the market and challenges associated with systemic delivery of drug via vaginal route. This review also highlights the benefits of vaginal route as drug delivery.

The purpose of this research work was to formulate fast dissolving film of cefpodoxime proxetil for oral delivery in order to improve oral bioavailability of drug with poor solubility. Cefpodoxime proxetil (CP) is the drug candidate belonging to BCS class IV with poor solubility and poor permeability is and limited oral bioavailability, an orally administered, extended spectrum, semi-synthetic β- lactum antibiotic of cephalosporin class. To improve oral bioavailability, cefpodoxime proxetil nanosuspension was prepared using solvent-antisolvent precipitation technique. Nanosuspension was characterized on the basis of drug concentration in organic phase, temperature, solvent-antisolvent ratio and the time period of stirring on the particle size systematically. Particle size and zeta potential of nanosuspension was observed at 755.6nm and −22.6mV, respectively. Solvent casting method be used in the formation of film, utilizing HPMC E50 as film former, PEG 400 as plasticizer and tween 80 as surfactant. The optimized fast dissolving film formulation F1 showed uniformity of weight (0.091mg), folding endurance (149) drug content uniformity (99.5%), surface pH (6.8) disintegration time (32 seconds in 6.8 PB) and in- vitro drug release 94.2% in 7 min. So, it is concluded from comparison studies between fast dissolving film (FDF) containing pure drug and nanosuspension, fast dissolving film containing cefpodoxime proxetil nanosuspension gives faster and high drug release.

The aim of present investigation was to develop nanoemulsion gel of ketoconazole for topical delivery and comparison with the marketed preparation. Ketoconazole, BCS class II antifungal agent with broad spectrum activity is a poorly soluble and highly permeable drug. Due to its poor solubility, it is incompletely absorbed after oral dosing and bioavailability varies. The drug efficacy of topical formulation can be limited by instability due to its poor solubility in the vehicle and low permeability. Therefore, to overcome these shortcomings of conventional system nanoemulsion have been used as drug carrier in topical treatment of fungal infection, especially in dermatology. Pseudo-ternary phase diagram was constructed on triplot software to identify nanoemulsion area using different concentrations of oil, Smix (surfactant and co- surfactant) and water. 2% Carbopol 980 as gelling agent and 0.5% DMSO as permeation enhancer was used in topical gel formulation. The formulations was characterized on the basis of pH, drug content, viscosity and in-vitro diffusion study. The optimized formulation was found to have pH 7.4 and drug content 98.90%. In-vitro diffusion study of nanoemulsion gel showed 80.375% release within 8 hrs. Drug release of ketoconazole nanoemulsion gel when compared with marketed formulation showed 80.375% release within 8 hrs as compare to 52.125% for marketed preparation (Ketoconazole cream 2%, H&H Pharmaceutical). So, it is concluded that by incorporating ketoconazole nanoemulsion in topical gel provided sustained release along with improved solubility and permeability.