Pharmaceutical Assessment of Watermelon Rind Pectin as a Suspending Agent in Oral Liquid Dosage Forms.

Pectin is a high molecular weight polymer which is present in virtually all plants where it contributes to the cell structure. Pectin is a high valuable food ingredient widely used as a gelling agent and thickening agent with limited use in the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this study is to evaluate the suspending properties of pectin from watermelon rind. Tragacanth was used as a standard suspending agent to which the suspending properties of pectin from watermelon rinds were compared with. The extracted pectin was subjected to phytochemical and physiochemical characterization for its safety and suitability to use as a suspending agent. Paracetamol suspensions were formulated using tragacanth concentrations of 0.5% w/v, 1% w/v, and 2% w/v and compared with paracetamol suspensions containing the same concentrations of watermelon pectin. The suspensions were all tested for their pH, sedimentation rate, sedimentation volume, flow rate, and ease of redispersibility over a period of 4 weeks. At the end of the 4-week period, all formulated suspensions had no changes in their pH values. Suspensions containing the extracted pectin had a lower rate of sedimentation and ease of redispersibility compared to that of tragacanth. In addition, their sedimentation volumes as well as flow rates were comparable to that of the tragacanth formulations. Ultimately, pectin from watermelon rind can serve as a suitable alternative to tragacanth in formulation of pharmaceutical suspensions.

Approaches for the Elimination of Microbial Contaminants from Lippia multiflora Mold. Leaves Intended for Tea Bagging and Evaluation of Formulation.

Elimination of microorganisms from herbal products has been a major concern due to its implicated health risk to consumers. Drying of herbal materials has been employed for centuries to reduce the risk of contamination and spoilage. The present study adopted three drying approaches in an attempt to eliminate microorganisms from Lippia multiflora tea bag formulation. This study also evaluated the tea bags and optimized the extraction procedure. The L. multiflora leaves for tea bagging were air-dried and milled (A), oven-dried and milled (B), and microwaved (the milled air-dried leaves) (C). The moisture contents were determined at 105°C ± 2°C for 2 hours to constant weight. Phytochemical parameters such as phytochemical constituents, total water extractive, and pH were assessed. The microbial safety and quality of the L. multiflora tea bags were evaluated using the British Pharmacopoeia 2019 specifications. The uniformity of the mass of the formulated tea bags was also determined. Extraction from the Lippia tea bags was optimized. The results showed that using the approaches (A, B, and C) adopted for drying and processing, the moisture contents of the formulated tea bags were in the range of 9.75-10.71% w/w. All the formulated tea bags contained reducing sugars, phenolic compounds, polyuronides, flavonoids, anthracenosides, alkaloids, saponins, and phytosterols. The pH range of the formulations was 7.11-7.54, whereas the total water extractive values were in the range of 19.12-20.41% w/w. The one-way analysis of variance demonstrated no significant difference in the data obtained from the results from A, B, and C. The formulation from A was found to be unsafe for consumption due to unacceptable microbial contamination limits. Microbial load of the formulations from B and C were within the BP specifications. All the batches of the formulations passed the uniformity of mass test. An optimized extraction procedure was obtained when one tea bag was extracted in 250 mL of hot water within the specified time. L. multiflora leaves meant for tea bagging should be oven-dried or microwaved before tea bagging for safe consumption.

A review on anti-peptic ulcer activities of medicinal plants used in the formulation of Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules.

Peptic ulcer disease affects many people globally. With the increasing resistance to some orthodox antibiotics such as Clarithromycin and Metronidazole, it is important that new acceptable, safer and effective therapies are developed to manage this disease. Various herbal medicines have been used traditionally for the remedy of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), however scientific information with regards to their anti-peptic ulcer both in-vivo and in-vitro as well as clinical studies supporting their use is still inadequate. The Centre for Plant Medicine Research, (CPMR) Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana manufactures three herbal Products namely Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules which are currently used for the remedy of PUD as a triple therapy at its out-patient clinic with promising effects. The aim of this review is to gather information from literature on the anti-ulcer properties, pharmacological, phytochemical constituents and related activities of herbal plants used at the CPMR for formulation of the triple herbal therapy. This review may, provide some scientific bases for the use of Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules in the management of Peptic ulcer at the CPMR out-patient clinic. METHODS: Organization for the review involved the on and/or offline search for information from available literature using electronic data and scientific research information resources such as PubMed, Science Direct and Google scholar. RESULTS: In this review, fifteen ethno-medicinal plants used for the formulation of Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK capsules have been discussed, presenting the description of the plants, composition and pharmacological activity. INTERPRETATION: Tables with the summary of reviewed medicinal plants with their anti-ulcer models and inference on possible mechanisms of action were drawn up. The mechanism(s) of action of individual plants and products (Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules) must be further investigated and established experimentally in-vitro in addition to in-vivo pharmacological and clinical activity studies to confirm their use in the remedy of PUD.

Strategies for formulation of effervescent granules of an herbal product for the management of typhoid fever.

Herbal medicines are currently being adopted as alternatives to orthodox medicines for the management of drug-resistant and emerging multidrug-resistant microbial strains of various diseases, including typhoid fever. A herbal decoction, MA 001, manufactured by the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR), has been used for the treatment of typhoid fever for at least two decades in Ghana with desirable outcomes. MA 001 is formulated from Citrus aurantifolia, Spondias mombin, Latana camara, Bidens pilosa, Trema occidentalis, Psidium guajava, Morinda lucida, Vernonia amygdalina, Persea americana, Paulina pinnatta, Momordia charantia and Cnestis ferruguinea medicinal plants. The low palatability and compliance to treatment due to the bulky nature of the decoction poses challenges in its optimum use. This study sought to design and formulate the therapeutic components of the aqueous herbal decoction of MA 001 into an optimal solid dosage form of effervescent granules to improve the delivery of MA 001 as well as increase patient compliance and convenience of product handling. The methods involved pre-formulation studies on the suitability of effervescent vehicles, formulation and evaluation of effervescent granules for drug excipient interactions using high performance liquid chromatography analysis. The findings indicate that the effervescent granules were suitable for use in the delivery of the therapeutic constituents for the treatment of typhoid fever as done with the decoction due to minimal herbal extract-excipient interaction.

Comparative Quality Evaluation of Selected Brands of Cefuroxime Axetil Tablets Marketed in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

The ever-growing commercialization of poor-quality and substandard medicines, especially anti-infectives characterized by inadequate postmarket surveillance by stakeholders remains a major global health challenge, particularly in developing countries, where antibiotic drug resistance and its repercussions on human health remain dominant. This research sought to evaluate the pharmaceutical quality of six randomly selected brands of cefuroxime axetil tablets (250 mg) marketed in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The selected brands were coded and subjected to both compendial and noncompendial tests. Statistical analysis and model-independent parameter (similarity factor, f2) were employed in analyzing the dissolution profiles of all the brands. All brands including the reference brand conformed to the pharmacopeial specifications for both compendial and noncompendial tests, indicating that they were of good quality. However, there were significant variations (p < 0.05) in the disintegration time amongst the various brands. All the brands had ƒ2 values > 50 indicating similarity of their drug release profiles with the innovator. Hence, all the sampled cefuroxime axetil brands can be considered as pharmaceutical equivalents to the innovator drug. These brands can, therefore, be used as a substitute for the innovator drug by physicians to patients in cases of unaffordability or unavailability of the innovator brand.

Formulation and In Vitro Evaluation of Oral Capsules from Liquid Herbal Antimalarials Marketed in Ghana.

Malaria ranks amongst the major health challenges faced by many developing countries. In Sub-Saharan and tropical regions of Africa, malaria continues to claim the life of one out of every twenty children below the age of five years. In adults, mortality rates are lower, but frequent debilitating attacks reduce the quality of life for chronic sufferers. The patronage and usage of liquid herbal antimalarials in the management and treatment of malaria in Ghana have been on the ascendency over the past decade. This project seeks to transform five liquid herbal antimalarial preparations (Agbeve pevah, Time mixture, Givers mixture, Masada mixture, and Rooter mixture) produced locally and commonly used for the treatment of malaria fever into capsules. This will help eliminate the current limitations, such as lack of patient compliance due to the bitterness and bulky nature of packaged preparation. The amount of dry extract per dose of each herbal antimalarial preparation and the wavelength of maximum absorption (λ max) of aqueous solutions of Agbeve, Time, Givers, Masada, and Rooter extract were determined. The flow properties of formulated granules were determined and subsequently encapsulated. The formulated capsules were evaluated using basic pharmacopeial tests, such as uniformity of weight, disintegration, drug content, and dissolution. Difference, f1, and similarity, f2, factors were employed in analyzing the dissolution profiles of the formulated capsules. The formulated granules exhibited good flow properties and passed the weight uniformity, disintegration, and drug content tests. The capsules exhibited optimal release of extract at the 45th minute in 0.1 M HCL. All formulated capsules had ƒ2 values >50 and ƒ1 values <15, indicating the similarity of their drug release profiles with their respective liquid herbal antimalarials. Oral capsules of Agbeve, Time, Givers, Masada, and Rooter have been successfully formulated and can be used as a substitute for Agbeve pevah, Time mixture, Givers mixture, Masada mixture, and Rooter mixture, respectively, in the treatment of malaria.

Managing Vibrio cholerae with a local beverage: preparation of an affordable ethanol based hand sanitizer.

Research indicates an increased use of hand sanitizers globally, and in particular developing countries where bacterial epidemics such as cholera are common. While there is evidence of availability, high demand and use of hand sanitizers, the incidence of cholera in developing countries remains unabated. Several reasons have been put forward, and cost of hand sanitizers remains dominant. It is in response to this contradictory situation of availability but limited access, that this study was conducted to present an alternative option of formulating a high quality and cost effective ethanol-based sanitizer from a Ghanaian local beverage (akpeteshie). The concentration of ethanol in akpeteshie was determined using gas chromatography. An Ethanol based hand sanitizer (Sample C) was formulated with akpeteshie and tested against Vibrio cholerae using the microbial time -kill kinetics assay. Commercially available ethanol based Equi-Clean hand sanitizer (62%) (Sample D) was used as the standard. Results show that the akpeteshie contained 73.08% ethanol and formulated product (Sample C) contained 63.70% ethanol. Viscosity and pH of Sample C were; 89 rpm (1.48 cps) and 7.30 respectively whiles that of Sample D were; 80 rpm (1.33 cps) and 7.50 respectively. The formulated product (Sample C) was effective against Vibrio cholerae with a gradual reduction in microbial count upon exposure to the organisms at time intervals of 0, 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 min.