Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Controlled Release Formulation of Indomethacin Prepared With Bee Glue Extracts

S Honary¹ , P Ebrahimi², F Naghibi³, M Chaigani¹

¹Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Sari; ²Gonbad Institute of Higher Education Center, P.O. Box 163, Gonbad; ³Traditional Medicine & Materia Medica Research Center (TMRC) Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

For correspondence:- S Honary Email: shonary@mazums0ac.ir Tel:0098 912145 2220

Received: 27 December 2010 Accepted: 30 July 2011 Published: 23 October 2011

Citation: Honary S, Ebrahimi P, Naghibi F, Chaigani M. Controlled Release Formulation of Indomethacin Prepared With Bee Glue Extracts. Trop J Pharm Res 2011; 10(5):543-550 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v10i5.2

© 2011 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To prepare and evaluate new sustained release formulations of indomethacin based on extracts of propolis (bee glue).

Methods: Standardization of propolis (bee glue) extracts was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and determination of the values of fat and fixed oils. Several indomethacin capsule formulations (F1 - F18) containing varying amounts of chloroform (0.75 - 75 mg) and ethanol extracts (30 - 75 mg) of propolis were prepared. The dissolution rate of the formulations was evaluated by USP dissolution (rotating basket) method I and the release data subjected to various kinetic models. Probable interaction between the drug and propolis extracts was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Results: The results show that, although the release rate of formulations F1 - F7 did not show any significant difference (p < 0.05) compared to F18 as blank, the other formulations did. DSC results indicate that incorporation of propolis extract in the formulations lowered indomethacin melting point by between 5 and 30 ºC, indicating interaction between the drug and the waxy extract. Kinetic analysis of the in vitro release data of the formulations showed that the best-fit drug release model varied with the drug:propolis extract ratio of the formulations.

Conclusion: Formulation F13 (with equal proportion of drug and bee glue extract) came out best from the dissolution test for indomethacin extended-release capsules as it exhibited zero order kinetics. This fpormulation is therefore suitable for further development as a matrix formulation for controlled release.

Keywords: Propolis (bee glue), Indomethacin, Controlled release, Zero order kinetics, Waxy materials