Affiliation:
1. Guru Gobind Singh College of Pharmacy, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, 135001, India
2. Zeon Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd.,
Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, 173025, India
Abstract
Background:
Silymarin is extracted from the seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), exhibits antioxidant properties, and is considered to treat numerous hepatic ailments like chronic liver
disease, cirrhosis, and chemical degradation of liver cells and prevent hepatotoxicity from various
drugs.
Objective:
The objective of the present study was to preclude the problem of poor dissolution of the
relatively water-insoluble drug by formulating solid dispersions of the drug.
Methods:
Solid dispersions of silymarin were prepared by solvent evaporation method by using different polymers, i.e., PEG 6000 and poloxamer 407, in various ratios such as 1:2, 1:4 and 1:6. The
compatibility of ingredients with the drug was tested by using Differential scanning calorimetry
(DSC), X-Ray Diffractometry, and Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The scavenging
activity of DPPH (2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical was used to study the antioxidant activity,
and an in vitro release study was conducted using phosphate buffer pH 6.8 as dissolution medium followed by the kinetic assessment to study the drug release mechanism.
Results:
Solid dispersions with different polymers were successfully prepared by the solvent evaporation method. FTIR spectroscopy and DSC showed no chemical interaction between the drug and
polymers. Powder XRD analyses of optimized solid dispersions showed a relative decrease in
crystallinity compared to the pure drug. The dissolution profile of solid dispersions successfully
exhibited 90.78% drug released, and the optimized batch was found to follow Higuchi drug release
kinetics with an R2 value of 0.990. Furthermore, the optimized formulation F6 showed higher
antioxidant activity compared to pure silymarin and ascorbic acid.
Conclusion:
The elevated bioavailability, as well as absorption, consistently regulates the specific
therapeutic effect of the water-insoluble drug. The specific response of silymarin to various bodily
functions upgrades various activities like anti-aging effects, anti-cancer, antihypertensive, etc. Solid
dispersion of drugs with good aqueous solubility results in a decrease in dose frequency and enhanced
specificity of the drug mechanism.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmacology (medical),General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
Reference58 articles.
1. Kshirsagar A.; Ingawale D.; Ashok P.; Vyawahare N.; Silymarin: A comprehensive review. Pharmacogn Rev 2009,3(5),126-134
2. Das S.K.; Mukherjee S.; Biochemical and immunological basis of silymarin effect, a milk thistle (Silybum marianum) against ethanol-induced oxidative damage. Toxicol Mech Methods 2012,22(5),409-413
3. Dixit N.; Baboota S.; Kohli K.; Ahmad S.; Ali J.; Silymarin: A review of pharmacological aspects and bioavailability enhancement approaches. Indian J Pharmacol 2007,39(4),172-179
4. Xie Y.; Zhang D.; Zhang J.; Yuan J.; Metabolism, transport and drug-drug interactions of silymarin. Molecules 2019,24(20),3693
5. Karimi G.; Vahabzadeh M.; Lari P.; Rashedinia M.; Moshiri M.; “Silymarin”, a promising pharmacological agent for treatment of diseases. Iran J Basic Med Sci 2011,14(4),308-317