Orally ingestible medication utilizing layered double hydroxide nanoparticles strengthened alginate and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel bead for bowel disease management.

In the treatment of bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis through oral administration, an effective drug delivery system targeting the colon is crucial for enhancing efficacy and minimizing side effects of therapeutic agents. This study focuses on the development of a novel nanocomposite hydrogel bead comprising a synergistic blend of biological macromolecules, namely sodium alginate (ALG) and hyaluronic acid (HA), reinforced with layered double hydroxide nanoparticles (LDHs) for the oral delivery of dual therapeutics. The synthesized hydrogel bead exhibits significantly enhanced gel strength and controllable release of methylprednisolone (MP) and curcumin (CUR), serving as an anti-inflammatory drug and a mucosal healing agent, compared to native ALG or ALG/HA hydrogel beads without LDHs. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized LDHs and hydrogel beads were characterized using various techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential measurement, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. In vitro release studies of MP and CUR under simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions demonstrate the superior controlled release property of the nanocomposite hydrogel bead, particularly in minimizing premature drug release in the upper GIT environment while sustaining release of over 82 % of drugs in the colonic environment. Thus, the modularly engineered carrier designed for oral colon targeting holds promise as a potential candidate for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Isolation of oleanolic acid from Clematis armandii for differentiation it from adulterants by HPTLC/HPLC.

Clematis armandii has been used in many Chinese traditional patent medicines all over the world as a form of Caulis Clematidis Armandii. However, it has often been adulterated by Aristolochia manshuriensis, and Iodes vitiginea. A. manshuriensis must not be part of any herbal medicines because it contains aristolochic acid I, a nephrotoxin and potential carcinogen. The current pharmacopoeial methods have had limitation for differentiation of C. armandii from its adulterants. Thus, a specific, comprehensive, sensitive, and reproducible HPTLC/HPLC for quality control of C. armandii was proposed. Oleanolic acid from C. armandii has been isolated by vacuum liquid chromatography and column chromatography. The purified compound has been identified using Ultra Violet spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Therefore, oleanolic acid should be detected for positive identification of Caulis Clematis Armandii. Minimum content of oleanolic acid can be evaluated by the validated HPTLC procedure proposed as well.