ABSTRACT
The neuropharmacological activity of different doses (100, 200, 400 mg/kg/p.o.) of petroleum ether (SIP), methanolic (SIM) and aqueous extract (SIA) obtained from Sphaeranthus indicus Linn were studied in mice. Sphaeranthus indicus was evaluated for its effect on motor coordination, locomotor activity, cognitive behavior, anxiety, haloperidol induced catalepsy, sodium nitrite induced respiratory arrest, hypoxic stress induced neurotoxicity and convulsions induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and maximum electroshock (MES). The SIP and SIM 200 and 400 mg/kg showed significant decrease in locomotor activity but no effect on motorcoordination. SIP, SIM and SIA 100 mg/kg showed significant anxiolytic activity. SIM 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg/p.o. showed significant anticonvulsant activity. SIM 400 mg/kg/p.o. found to prolong haloperidol induced catalepsy in mice. SIM 100 and 200 mg/kg/p.o. significantly increases discrimination index in object recognition test. Moreover the SIP and SIM extracts also showed significant analgesic activity in hot plate method. The results suggest that the extract may possess sedative principles with anxiolytic activity, anticonvulsant activity and antistress activity.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate gels incorporating nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) of Miconazole nitrate (MN) for systemic delivery of the active after topical application. MN has been used as model drugs to be incorporated into nanostructured lipid carriers, once they are very well established as antimycotics for the treatment of topical fungal infections. NLC designed for topical administration of MN, were prepared by the hot high pressure homogenization technique. This MN-NLC was characterized for particle size, entrapment efficiency, and SEM. The lipid nanoparticles were incorporated in gels for convenient topical application and were evaluated forfor particle size, Rheological analysis Texture analysis , In vitro drug release studies and Ex Vitro skin permeation Studies. The preparation of aqueous NLC dispersions with a mean particle size lower than 300 nm has been obtained with uniform size distribution (PI < 0.350). The prepared semi-solid systems showed mean particle size remained lower than 250 nm and PI remained lower than 0.500 after 3 months of storage. An initial rapid release was observed in the case of Marketed gel, whereas MN- NLC Gel depicted a slow initial release with a lag time of 0.5 h and 1 h, respectively. High amount of MN release was facilitated through abdominal skin of rats from marketed gel than MN-NLC Gel. Research work could be concluded as successful development of MN-loaded NLC-bearing hydrogel to increase the encapsulation efficiency of colloidal lipid carriers with advantage of improved performance in terms of stability and provides a sustaining MN topical effect as well as faster relief from fungal infection.