In situ gels loaded with naringin as ocular drug delivery carriers; development and preliminary characterization

Abstract

Ocular drug delivery of any molecule is quite complex and challenging due to the ophthalmic anatomy. The current ocular formulations such as drops, gels or ointments cannot deliver the active molecules efficiently, therefore newer dosage forms are being developed. In situ gels which are in the liquid state in room temperature or in certain pH but transform to gels when instilled onto the eye belongs to such innovative dosage forms. Herein, the fabrication of in situ gels for naringin ocular delivery is presented since there are very few studies examining the use of naringin as an active molecule for eye delivery. Naringin which is hydrolyzed in naringenin, is a flavonoid glucoside found on citrus fruits and has been studied as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent or potent antimicrobial agent. The naringin loaded in situ gels developed via cold method using Poloxamer 407, sodium alginate and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose E5. The temperature-responsive in situ gels were characterized for clarity, sol-gel transition temperature, gelling capacity, pH and viscosity. All the results were of desirable limits. Furthermore, in vitro drug release demonstrated that the in situ gels showed sustained pattern Antimicrobial studies indicated specific antimicrobial potency against Enterococcus faecalis. Future studies will involve in vivo studies and ocular irritation analysis.