Hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) is a diuretic and a BCS class IV drug with low solubility and low permeability, exhibiting poor oral absorption. The present study attempts to improve the physicochemical properties of the drug using a crystal engineering approach with cocrystals. Such multicomponent crystals of HCT with nicotinic acid (NIC), nicotinamide (NCT), 4-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), succinamide (SAM), and resorcinol (RES) were prepared using liquid-assisted grinding, and their solubilities in pH 7.4 buffer were evaluated. Diffusion and membrane permeability were studied using a Franz diffusion cell. Except for the SAM and NIC cocrystals, all other binary systems exhibited improved solubility. All of the cocrystals showed improved diffusion/membrane permeability compared to that of HCT with the exception of the SAM cocrystal. When the solubility was high, as in the case of PABA, NCT, and RES cocrystals, the flux/permeability dropped slightly. This is in agreement with the expected interplay between solubility and permeability. Improved solubility/permeability is attributed to new drug-coformer interactions. Cocrystals of SAM, however, showed poor solubility and flux. This cocrystal contains a primary sulfonamide dimer synthon similar to that of HCT polymorphs, which may be a reason for its unusual behavior. Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out in all cases to determine whether a correlation exists between cocrystal permeability and drug-coformer interactions.

Background:Lung administration of antibiotics by nebulization is promising for improved treatment efficiency for pulmonary infections, as it increases drug concentration at sites of infection while minimizing systemic side effects. For poorly soluble molecules like rifampicin, lipid particulate system may improve lung delivery.Materials and Methods:We investigated rifampicin-loaded freeze-dried liposomes. Various formulations were prepared with different drug lipid ratios and one formulation was optimized. Optimized colloidal liposome formulation was freeze-dried and subsequently subjected for various evaluation and characterization parameters such as in-vitro dissolution, in-vitro antitubercular activity, aerodynamic characters, surface morphology, and thermal behavior. The optimized formulation of rifampicin-loaded freeze-dried liposome and free rifampicin was subjected for the in-vivo drug disposition study in Wister rat model by intra-tracheal instillation in comparison with an oral route of administration.Results:The results of pharmacokinetic study for both free drug and the formulation suggested that liposomes released the drug in a controlled manner for a longer period of time. The enhanced efficiency of drug incorporated into liposomes suggested that the delivery of encapsulated drugs to macrophages was more rapid than that of free drug.Conclusion:Therefore, the pharmacokinetic and drug disposition studies provided a sound basis for predicting the successful treatment for tuberculosis.

The aim of this study was to prepare tamoxifen citrate loaded cylindrical polymeric implants for application at tumor sites. The implant was based on poly (sebacic acid-co-ricinoleic-ester anhydride) 70 : 30 w/w [poly(SA-RA) 70 : 30 w/w], a low-melting, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymer. Implants were prepared by a standardized melt manufacturing method. Differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy were used for implant characterization. In vitro drug release studies were performed in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 37 6 28C. The drug content was estimated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The differential scanning calorimetry studies showed that the tamoxifen citrate in the implants was in the amorphous state. The cumulative percentage of drug release from 10 and 20 wt % drug-loaded poly(SA-RA) 70 : 30 w/w implants after 30 days was found to be 42.36 and 62.60%, respectively.

Novel drug delivery system is a novel approach to drug delivery that addresses the limitations of the traditional drug delivery systems. Our country has a vast knowledge base of Ayurveda whose potential is only being realized in the recent years. However, the drug delivery system used for administering the herbal medicine to the patient is traditional and out-of-date, resulting in reduced efficacy of the drug. If the novel drug delivery technology is applied in herbal medicine, it may help in increasing the efficacy and reducing the side effects of various herbal compounds and herbs. This is the basic idea behind incorporating novel method of drug delivery in herbal medicines. Thus it is important to integrate novel drug delivery system and Indian Ayurvedic medicines to combat more serious diseases. For a long time herbal medicines were not considered for development as novel formulations owing to lack of scientific justification and processing difficulties, such as standardization, extraction and identification of individual drug components in complex polyherbal systems. However, modern phytopharmaceutical research can solve the scientific needs (such as determination of pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, site of action, accurate dose required etc.) of herbal medicines to be incorporated in novel drug delivery system, such as nanoparticles, microemulsions, matrix systems, solid dispersions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles and so on. This article summarizes various drug delivery technologies, which can be used for herbal actives together with some examples.