FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF POLYMERIC OPHTHALMIC DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM CONTROLLED RELEASE OF SELECTED ANTIBACTERIAL DRUG
Akash Kumar, Akansha Verma, Aman Pawar, Aman Verma, Manisha Verma
ABSTRACT
The present study focuses on the formulation and evaluation of a polymeric in situ gel system for the controlled ocular delivery of Tobramycin, an antibacterial drug commonly used to treat eye infections. In situ gels offer advantages such as enhanced ocular residence time, sustained drug release, and improved patient compliance compared to conventional eye drops. Formulations were prepared using Pluronic F127 in combination with Carbopol 934 and HPMC 15 cps, and evaluated for clarity, drug content, pH, gelling capacity, viscosity, and in vitro drug release. All formulations (F1, F2, and F3) were found to be clear and had drug content ranging from 96.65% to 99.28%. The pH of the formulations was adjusted to 5.0 ± 0.1 to ensure ocular compatibility. Among the three, formulation F2 demonstrated optimal performance with the highest gelling capacity (+++), appropriate viscosity after gelation (2374 cps), and sustained drug release, reaching 99.14% over 5 hours. These findings suggest that the developed in situ gel system has the potential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of Tobramycin by providing controlled and prolonged drug delivery in the ocular environment.
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