RESUMO
This study highlights the importance of community pharmacists' strategic role in hindering the progression of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the community setting and innovative measures to protect themselves. This article focuses on the features, control, and prevention of COVID-19 and social awareness measures of the pandemic. The means employed by the community pharmacist to safeguard his health while providing pharmaceutical services during COVID-19 is compiled and presented to benefit health-care professionals around the world. As per the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, community pharmacists play a crucial role in providing essential drugs to patients without knowing their current COVID-19 status. They also work in conditions that make them susceptible to COVID-19 exposure. Despite the availability of guidelines, community pharmacists need to be trained in personal protective equipment for efficient protection and prevention of spread. Community pharmacists are essential frontline warriors against transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the community and act as frontline workers to educate the public on COVID-19. They are at high risk and need to observe necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus.
RESUMO
The main purpose of this work is to formulate self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) using smaller molecular oil with Atorvastatin calcium as a model drug. Solubility of the selected drug was accessed in oils and surfactants. Percent transmittance (%T) test study was performed to identify the efficient self-microemulsifying formulations. Those formulations which showed higher value for %T were evaluated for droplet size, polydispersity index, ζ potential, refractive index and cloud point measurement. Effect of drug loading on droplet size, increasing dilution in different media, thermodynamic stability and in vitro dissolution was performed to observe the performance of the selected formulation. Further cytotoxicity and permeation enhancement studies were carried out on Caco2 cell lines. Of all the oils accessed for drug solubility, Capmul MCM showed higher solubility capacity for Atorvastatin calcium. Capmul MCM was better microemulsified using combination of Tween 20 and Labrasol surfactant. Droplet size was as low as 86.93 nm with polydispersity index and ζ potential at 0.195 ± 0.011 and -7.27 ± 3.11 mV respectively. The selected undiluted formulation showed refractive index values ranging from 1.40 to 1.47 indicating the isotropicity of the formulation. The selected formulation was robust to dilution in different media and thermodynamically stable. Dissolution profile was enhanced for the selected drug as compared to marketed formulation with t85% and DE values at 10 min and 80.15 respectively. Also cytotoxicity measurement showed minimum effect with good permeation enhancing capacity. Thus our study demonstrates the use of smaller molecular oil (Capmul MCM) for developing self-microemulsifying drug delivery system for better in vitro and in vivo performance.
