Reinventing nano drug delivery systems for hydrophilic active ingredients in Ayurvedic lipid based formulations containing poly herbal decoction

Abstract

Background Anu Tailam, an Ayurvedic medicated oil where ‘anu’ meant for atom and ‘tailam’ meant for oil and virtually meant for ‘oil of subtle or atomic size particles’. Since the major active ingredients in this formulation are incorporated from the polyherbal decoction, it is expected to contain predominantly water soluble ingredients. Objectives It is hypothesized that these polar active botanical ingredients are present in the formulation should be either suspended in the form of submicron particles or entrapped in the submicron vesicular structures since the formulation did not show any precipitation or phase separation instead showed a monophasic oily liquid with very little moisture. Materials and Methods In the present investigation, the micro architecture of the anu tailam is studied via column chromatography and high performance thin layer chromatography to prove the contents are polar hydrophilic compounds followed by optical microscopy, photon correlation Spectroscopy (PCS) and environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) to study the particle/vesicle size of the formulation. Results In this study, it was proved that the formulation contained only polar ingredients and can be extracted in polar solvents like methanol and ethanol. It was also found that the formulation taken for study contained nano particles of the active botanical ingredients embedded in a network of vesicular structures of the lipid base. Conclusion The selected Ayurvedic formulation ‘anutailam’ found to contain novel nano drug delivery system to deliver water soluble ingredients across barriers.

AYURAKSHA, a prophylactic Ayurvedic immunity boosting kit reducing positivity percentage of IgG COVID-19 among frontline Indian Delhi police personnel: A non-randomized controlled intervention trial

“…Various pharmacological agents, including intra-nasal delivery of TLR2/6 agonist, are studied to prevent the entry of viruses and control the infection ( 24 , 53 – 55 ). Ayurveda-based Anu Taila (Oil) derived from several important medicinal plants nourishes all the sensory organs, including nose, and helps in relieving congestion in the nostrils, chronic sinusitis ( 20 , 21 ), and controlling the pro-inflammatory cytokines ( 56 ). Various authors showed a reduced viral load in the lungs after the prophylactic nasal instillation of Anu Taila ( 21 , 22 , 24 , 57 ).…”

“…Sanshamani Vati ( Tinospora cordifolia ), commonly named as Guduchi, boosts immunity and acts as an immune modulator ( 19 ). Anu Taila (Oil) nourishes all the sensory organs and helps in relieving congestion in the nostrils, chronic sinusitis ( 20 , 21 ). The rationale behind utilization of the above drugs was as follows: all the formulations and their suggested doses have been used in Ayurveda since ages with well-documented safety aspects and no visible side-effects ( 22 ); all of them were recommended by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, for the prevention of health and boosting immunity for COVID-19 prophylaxis ( 15 ); the efficiency of all three drugs and their active ingredients were proved by the evidence of the published literature and reported with anti-viral/reduced viral load and immunomodulatory activity ( 21 , 23 , 24 ), none of them had any toxic effect at the prescribed application dose ( 22 ); all of them were cost-effective; easy to use; manufactured in reputed Government approved manufacturing unit.…”

Effect of Prophylactic Use of Intranasal Oil Formulations in the Hamster Model of COVID-19

“…On the other hand, a classical ayurvedic medicine, Anu tailya was used by Maharishi Charak more than 5,000 years ago for therapeutic purposes. (Duraipandi and Selvakumar, 2020; see the enclosed supplement information). Here, we report that intranasal instillation of both til tailya and Anu oil limited the viral entry and replication in the lungs associated with SARS-CoV2 infection in hamsters.…”

“…Since pharmaceutical drugs may have many off-target effects, therapeutics based on herbal extracts have recently gained much attention ( Matveeva et al, 2020 ; De Pellegrin et al, 2021 ; Jan et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2021 ). Here, we evaluated the efficacy of two ayurvedic intranasal (herbal) oil formulations, Anu oil and til tailya ( Duraipandi and Selvakumar, 2020 ), in hamster SARS-CoV2 challenge model.…”

“…On the other hand, a classical ayurvedic medicine, Anu tailya was used by Maharishi Charak more than 5,000 years ago for therapeutic purposes. Anu oil consists of extracted oils from several important medicinal plants like nāgarmothā ( Cyperus scariosus ), jīvantī ( Leptadenia reticulata ), sweta candana ( Santalum album ), jala ( Pavonia odorata ), Pṛśniparṇī ( Uraria picta ), bela ( Aegle marmelos ), devdāru ( Cedrus deodara ), dāruharidrā ( Berberis aristata ), tejpatra ( Cinnamomum tamala ), dālacīnī ( Cinnamomum verum ), kamala keṣara ( Nelumbo nucifera ), sevya ( Chrysopogon zizanioides ), viḍañga ( Embelia ribes ), utpala ( Nymphaeanouchali ), anantmūla ( Hemidesmus indicus ), tila tailya ( Sesamum indicum ), muleṭhī ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ), plawa ( Cyperus platyphyllus ), agarū ( Aquilaria agallocha ), satāvarī ( Asparagus racemosus ), bṛhatī ( Solanum indicum ), kaṇṭakārī ( Solanum surattense ), surbhi ( Pluchea lanceolata ), sālaparṇī ( Desmodium gangeticum ), truṭi ( Elettaria cardamomum), reṇukā ( Vitex agnus-castus ), and ajadugdha ( Duraipandi and Selvakumar, 2020 ; see the enclosed supplement information). Here, we report that intranasal instillation of both til tailya and Anu oil limited the viral entry and replication in the lungs associated with SARS-CoV2 infection in hamsters.…”