TRANSCORNEAL PERMEATION OF OFLOXACIN BY AMINO ACID TRANSPORTERS

The research was carried out to formulate and evaluate ophthalmic solutions of Ofloxacin with amino acid transporters and compare the transcorneal permeation of Oflaxacin with that of the standard. In the study three different eye drop formulations were prepared by conjugation of the drug with different amino acids such as Alanine, Glycine and Leucine by solvent evaporation technique, the extent of transcorneal permeation of the drug was determined and compared with that of formulated standard Oflaxacin ophthalmic solution. The prepared formulations have been observed to play significant role in the process of maintaining structural and functional integrity of conjunctiva and retina. Permeation characteristics of drug were evaluated by introducing 1 ml of formulation on freshly excised cornea fixed between donor and receptor compartments of an all-glass modified Franz diffusion cell and measuring the drug permeated in the receptor cell by UV at 288nm. After 120 minutes, the permeation of standard Ofloxacin solution was found to be 0.02% and the permeation of the formulated conjugates of Ofloxacin with different amino acid transporters were higher when compared with the permeation of standard. Among the formulations, Ofloxacin conjugated with Alanine exhibited highest permeation which was found to be 9.7%. Therefore, trans corneal permeation of Oflaxacin can be attributed by conjugation with Alanine and is a viable option for enhancing corneal permeability.