Cytarabine (Cyt) used in the treatment of meningeal leukemia is associated with drawbacks like non selectivity to tumor cells, very short half-life and inability to cross blood brain barrier (BBB) due to its hydrophilic nature. Therefore, stable lipid drug conjugate (LDC) of Cyt with stearic acid was prepared. LDC was characterized by NMR, FTIR, DSC and XRD studies. Polysorbate 80 stabilized nanoparticles of this LDC (LDC-NP) were prepared using solvent injection method and characterized for size, zeta potential and loading efficiency. The LDC-NPs were loaded with appreciable amount (considering hydrophilic nature of drug, prior to conjugation) of drug conjugate (58.39 ± 4.69%). The prepared LDC-NPs had smooth surface, particle size of 136.80 ± 3.24 nm, were non-aggregated and had almost spherical and uniform shapes. In vitro release pattern showed initial fast release (14.89±0.056% in 1 h) followed by sustained release up to 72 h (76.26±0.156%). The blank stearic acid nanoparticles showed no significant cytotoxic effect on leukemic EL-4 cells and LDC-NPs were more cytotoxic than Cyt solution at 48 h. The lyophilized LDC-NPs were found to be physically stable with respect to size and zeta potential at refrigerated condition for 90 days. These results suggest that Polysorbate 80 stabilized LDC-NPs can be explored for treatment of meningeal leukemia owing to their ability of providing sustained drug release, stability and improved cytotoxicity in leukemic EL-4 cell line.

The investigation on preparation of ready-to-serve beverage from Aonla using sugar substitutes was conducted at ICAR-CIPHET, Abohar (Punjab) during 2014-15. The experiment was laid out in completely randomised design with three replications and four treatments viz., sucrose, aspartame, sucralose and stevia with 50% juice made by blending of 60% of aonla, 20% pomegranate and 20% aloe vera. The RTS beverage with no sugar was the control. Sugar substitutes were used in place of sugar based on sugar equivalents. The required quantities of juice, sugar substitutes, water and citric acid were calculated. Strained fruit juice and freshly prepared sugar syrup were mixed together in the proportion as per the recipes on weight basis. The prepared RTS beverages were stored up to six months and analysed for chemical composition and sensory quality attributes sensory quality attributes at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days intervals at ambient conditions. At the end of storage, RTS with stevia 4% was found best among all in term biochemical and sensory quality. During storage period, the TSS, acidity and total sugars increased, while pH, and ascorbic acid decreased. The RTS beverage had storage stability up to six months. The developed RTS could be recommended for the large scale production at industrial level.

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