Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2013 in |
Heliotropium indicum Linn., commonly known as ‘Indian heliotrope’ is very common in India with a long history of traditional medicinal uses in many countries in the world. The plant is reported to possess antibacterial, antitumor, uterine stimulant effect, antifertility, wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and diuretic activities. Several pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been isolated from this species. The active principle Indicine-N-oxide has reached Phase 1 clinical trials in advanced cancer patients. But severe toxic side-effects showed that a therapy with indicine-N-oxide was not justified. Most of the alkaloids are hepatoxic and therefore internal use of Heliotropium species is not recommended. External application to promote wound healing and to fight infections seems to be less hazardous, but more research is needed. The comprehensive account of the chemical constituents and the biological activities are presented in this review such that the potential use of this plant in various traditional medicines can be systematically...
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Posted by admin on Mar 1, 2013 in |
Obesity is a chronic disease and a major health problem which require long term treatment in developed and affluent society of developing countries. Pharmacotherapies for obesity have to be given for a long duration with lifestyle modifications. Anti-obesity drugs acts through various targets in the body which reduce the food intake, decrease absorption and increase metabolism. Many drugs were approved and used in the past but were removed or abandoned in the later stages due to the various adverse drug reactions associated with the drugs. At present orlistat is the only approved drugs but it’s also associated with steatorrhoea and other side effects. Lorcaserin and the combination of phentermine and topiramate have shown to reduce greater weight loss and fewer side effects than orlistat. There are new combinations from existing drugs are in various phase of clinical trials like bupropion/naltrexone, bupropion/zonisamide and pramlintide/metreleptin. Many single agents like tesofensine, liraglutide, cetilistat, etc are in various phases of clinical trials and have shown promise to be in the league of the...
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Posted by admin on Mar 1, 2013 in |
Evolution of an existing drug molecule from a conventional form to a novel delivery system can significantly improve its performance in terms of patient compliance, safety and efficacy. In the form of a Novel Drug Delivery System an existing drug molecule can get a new life. An appropriately designed Novel Drug Delivery System can be a major advance for solving the problems related towards the release of the drug at specific site with specific rate. The need for delivering drugs to patients efficiently and with fewer side effects has prompted pharmaceutical companies to engage in the development of new drug delivery system. This article covers the basic information regarding Novel Drug Delivery Systems and also different types of the...
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Posted by admin on Mar 1, 2013 in |
Pulsatile Drug Delivery Systems are gaining a lot of interest as they deliver the drug at the right place at the right time and in the right amount, thus providing spatial and temporal delivery and increasing patient compliance. These systems are designed according to the circadian rhythm of the body. The principle rationale for the use of pulsatile release of the drugs is where a constant drug release is not desired. A pulse has to be designed in such a way that a complete and rapid drug release is achieved after the lag time. Various systems like capsular systems, osmotic systems, single- and multiple-unit systems based on the use of soluble or erodible polymer coating and use of rupturable membranes have been dealt with in the article. It summarizes the latest technological developments, formulation parameters, and release profiles of these systems. These systems are beneficial for the drugs having chronopharmacological behavior where night time dosing is required, such as anti-arhythmic and anti-asthmatic. Current review article discussed the reasons for...
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Posted by admin on Mar 1, 2013 in |
Novel drug delivery system is a novel approach to drug delivery that addresses the limitations of the traditional drug delivery systems. Our country has a vast knowledge base of Ayurveda whose potential is only being realized in the recent years.The effectiveness of any herbal medication is dependent on the delivery of effective level of the therapeutically active compound. Severe limitation exists in their bioavailability when administered orally or topically. Phytosomes are recently introduced herbal formulations that are better absorbed and as a result produce better bioavailability and actions than the conventional phyto-molecules or botanical extracts. In the recent days, most of the prevailing diseases and nutritional disorders are treated with natural medicines. Several plant extracts and phytoconstituents, despite having excellent bioactivity in vitro demonstrate less or no in vivo actions due to their poor lipid solubility or improper molecular size or both, resulting in poor absorption and bioavailability. So, much work has been directed towards the development of new concept in herbal delivery system i.e., “phytosomes” which are better...
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