European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF PHYTOSOME LOADED ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL GEL OF FICUS HISPIDA

Dr. Sapna Shrikumar*, Athira V R, Amitha P V, Mridula P, Liyana P S, Thahani Nowfa M M

ABSTRACT

The infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis results in cutaneous tuberculosis. This is a chronic condition that needs to be treated for a longer time with possible systemic side effects. Topical herbal formulations are an effective alternative that ensures higher patient compliance without any adverse effects. The development of an antimycobacterial gel formulation using phytosomes along with an aqueous extract of Ficus hispida is the main focus of this study. Soxhlet extraction using water as a solvent is employed to obtain the plant extract. The plant extract is then used to prepare phytosomes. Phospholipid complexation is employed to prepare phytosomes. These phytosomes are evaluated for their morphology, entrapment efficiency, and particle size. Physicochemical properties such as pH, viscosity, spreadability, and drug content are evaluated for the optimized phytosomes. The optimized phytosome formulation was then added to a carbopol gel and its physicochemical parameters, such as pH, viscosity, spreadability, and drug content, were evaluated. The gel formulation was found to possess satisfactory physicochemical parameters, drug release, and antimicrobial activity compared to the pure extract. The process of formulation and sensory evaluation of gels, including the phytosome formulation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, determination of zeta potential and particle size are discussed in this study. Ficus hispida and the development and evaluation of an anti-mycobacterial gel formulation containing phytosomes. his new approach can be an effective and safe alternative to conventional therapies and thus needs to be further studied.

Keywords: Ficus hispida, Phytosome, Cutaneous tuberculosis, Antimycobacterial gel, Soxhlet extraction, Herbal formulation, SEM Studies, zeta potential.