FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF PHYLLANTHUS AMARUS TRANSDERMAL PATCHES FOR ANTI-DIABETIC ACTIVITY

Barish*, Abraham Theodore E., B. Kamaleshwari, Meenu Joshi and M. Mumtaj Begum

ABSTRACT

The leaves of Phyllanthus amarus, have been used in traditional medicine by many Asian, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern Countries to treat headache, coughs, abdominal pain, diarrhea, asthma, rheumatism and other diseases. The whole plant are the most extensively studied, both phytochemically and pharmacologically. The aqueous extracts of the leaves have been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-diabetic, analgesic and antimicrobial activities. In this study, Transdermal Patches containing Phyllanthus amarus were prepared by Solvent Casting Technique using two different polymers, Pectin and Sodium alginate in various ratios using Polyethylene Glycol 400, Glycerine as Permeation enhancer and plasticizer. The prepared patches were studied and optimized with respect to physicochemical characters, drug-excipient interaction, in-vitro dissolution, release kinetics studies. The combination of Pectin and Polyethylene Glycol produces smooth flexible films. The In-vitro Dissolution studies revealed that the cumulative amount of drug released was decreased as the polymer content of the film increased. Based on in-vitro drug release studies, P6 [PA-Pectin] was found to be better formulation with reliable physicochemical characteristics as it released a maximum amount of drug release 79.32% at 24 hours and followed zero order kinetics. It is concluded as the optimized formulation for effective drug delivery and produce sustained drug delivery.

Keywords: Transdermal patches, Phyllanthus amarus, Pectin, Sodium alginate, Solvent Casting Technique, Franz Diffusion Cell, Anti-diabetic activity.