No abstract

Objective: Patient compliance and ease of administration are of significant importance in the design of dosage forms. Dysphasia is common among all age groups, especially in elderly and pediatrics. There are dosage forms like tablets, syrups in the market but still there is a need for new dosage form which acts effectively and locally. Jellies can provide an attractive alternative formulation in the treatment of oral candidiasis. So the present investigation aims to design, prepare and evaluate Clotrimazole jellies using xanthan gum with different concentrations. The benefits of these prepared jellies are increased bioavailability by-passing first pass metabolism. Method: The sucrose based jellies were prepared by heating and congealing method. Physical characteristics, pH, syneresis, in vitro dissolution testing, drug release kinetics, IR Spectral analysis and stability studies were conducted. Result: The prepared formulations are free from gritty particles. Among the prepared formulations, formulation C 3 containing 1.5% xanthan gum released 93.22% in 30min was found to be promising. Stability studies on the promising and other formulations indicated that there were no significant changes in the drug content and in vitro dissolution characteristics. IR spectroscopic studies indicated that there were no drug-excipient interactions. Anti-fungal studies revealed that there is no change in the molecular activity of the drug. Conclusion:The prepared jellies of Clotrimazole could stay in the mouth for a longer period of time, which indicates a potential use of jellies of Clotrimazole for treating oral candidiasis.

Liver plays an important role in maintaining the biological equilibrium of vertebrates. Liver diseases are a major worldwide health problem with high endemicity in developing countries. They are mainly caused by chemicals and some drugs when taken in very high doses. Despite advances in modern medicine, there is no effective drug available that stimulates liver function, offer protection to the liver from damage or help to regenerate hepatic cells. There is urgent need, therefore, for effective drugs to replace/supplement those in current use. The plant kingdom is undoubtedly valuable as a source of new medicinal agents. The main aim of any medication in the treatment of liver disorders is to prevent degeneration of hepatocytes and associated metabolic abnormalities and promote regeneration of hepatic cells. In present study the hepatoprotective activity of Cynodon dactylon extracts was evaluated in rifampicin induced liver toxicity by biochemical parameters like SGPT, SGOT, ALP, BIT and by histopathological study. Acute administration of rifampicin produced marked elevation of the serum levels of the above parameters compared to that of the control group. Treatment with ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Cynodon dactylon leaves at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg produces significant prevention in rifampicin induced rise of the above parameters. Silymarin at 100 mg/kg body weight significantly prevented such rise in study. The effect of Cynodon dactylon leaves extracts was found possess promising hepatoprotective activity. Further studies in other species and on other parameter would throw more light on this plant.

No abstract

Background and Objectives: In traditional system of Indian medicine, Punica granatum L. fruits are widely used for treatment of brain diseases, fever, heart diseases, diarrhea, dysentery, piles, inflammation and bronchitis. However, there is no authentic scientific data reported regarding anxiolytic activity of Punica granatum (Linn) fruit juice. To evaluate the anxiolytic activities of Punica granatum L. fruit juice in various validated animal models of anxiety in mice. Methods: The preliminary phytochemical investigation was carried out with the fruit juice of Punica granatum for qualitative identification of phytoconstituents. Animals were administered with orally 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 ml of Punica granatum fruit juice and observed for its mortality upto 48 hours study period (short term toxicity) to determine LD 50 . From the LD 50 dose, 1/20, 1/10 & 1/5 doses were selected and considered as low, medium and high dose respectively. For assessing the anxiolytic activity, models like Elevated Plus Maze, Hole-Board were used Diazepam was used as a standard reference for anxiolytic. Results: Preliminary phytochemical investigation of the PGFJ (Punica granatum L. fruit juice) revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, sterols, polyphenols, alkaloids, carbohydrates and proteins. LD 50 (acute oral toxicity) of Punica granatum fruit juice was determined in mice with a dose limit of 2000 mg/kg as per OECD guidelines no.425 and even upto 2000 mg/kg dose no mortality was recorded. Hence the experimental doses selected were 1/20, 1/10 and 1/5 of the LD 50 value and considered as low, medium and high doses of Punica granatum fruit juice 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively. In Elevated Plus Maze model, low, medium and high doses PGFJ and Diazepam (2 mg/kg) had significantly increased number of entries, time spent in open arms and decreased the number of entries and time spent in closed arms. In Hole-board model, Diazepam (2 mg/kg), medium and high doses (200 and 400mg/kg) but not the low dose (100mg/kg) of PGFJ had significantly increased the number of head dips, latency of first head dip and number of rearings. Conclusion: The present study ascertains that the plant Punica granatum L. fruit juice possesses significant antianxiety activity in mice and study concludes the beneficial effects of Punica granatum fruit juice in treatment of anxiety signifies the rational basis for its traditional use.