DESIGN CHARACTERIZATION AND FORMULATION OF IN-SITU GELLING OPHTHAL-MIC DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM CONTAINING PLANT DERIVED PHENOLS

The objective of the present investigation was to formulate and evaluate ion-activated in-situ gel using the herbal drug catechin, a potential natural antioxidant for the treatment of glaucoma by lowering oxidative stress. A total of eight formulations were prepared and evaluated for parameters, namely physical appearance, gelling capacity, pH measurement, rheological studies, the effect of sterilization, drug content, in-vitro diffusion study, isotonicity evaluation, ocular irritancy studies, and stability test. Pre-formulation studies confirmed that the drug and polymer are compatible with each other. The XSG-2 formulation showed a maximum percentage drug release of 95.45%, which was considered as an optimized formulation and showed 5-6 folds increase in viscosity after gelation, which indicated good residence time further formulations were found to be non-irritating with no ocular toxicity and good stability. The current study results conclude that the developed catech in loaded ophthalmic in situ gel can be considered a better alternative approach to the conventional eye drop with an increase in precorneal residence time, reduced frequency of dosage, and patient compliance for the management of glaucoma.