Phytochemical Identification and Formulation, Evaluation of Herbal Gel

Active ingredients found in medicinal plants can help cure illnesses or lessen discomfort.  In the majority of developing nations, traditional medicines and medicinal plants are frequently employed as therapeutic agents to maintain good health.  Eighty percent of people in developing countries utilize traditional medicines, mostly herbal plant cures, for basic medical care, according to the World Health Organization.

Medicinal plants are increasingly being used as raw materials in the production of pharmaceuticals. All civilizations saw a decline in the use of herbalism when modern western medicine first emerged, and synthetic chemicals were seen as the best means of healing and treating sickness.  In their quest for a healthier way of life, people are rediscovering the therapeutic benefits of herbs.  In a society growing healthier and more conscious of the environment, natural goods are now widely accessible in the west, and herbalism is regaining favour.  Herbal treatments can work well without having many of the unfavourable side effects of modern drugs.

Any medication delivery system's objective is to deliver a therapeutic dosage to the right location in the body in order to quickly reach and then sustain the required drug concentrations.  The therapeutic effect of a medication is greatly influenced by the method of delivery.  The primary channel of topical medication delivery is the skin, which is also one of the most accessible organs on the human body for topical administration.

Benefit of the Topical Drug Delivery System: Avoiding first pass metabolism; easy to use and practical.

1. Prevents variations in medication levels across individuals.
2. How simple it is to cease using the medications when needed.
3. In contrast to the nasal or buccal cavities, it has a rather wide variety of use.
4. The potential for more specialized medication distribution to a specific area.
5. The utilization of drugs with short biological half-lives is made possible by  Plant components such as seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, and flowers are utilized medicinally. Herbal medicine, botanical medicine, or phytomedicine are the terms used to describe this profession. Herbalism outside of orthodox medicine has a lengthy history. Herbs are plants or parts of plants used for their taste, fragrance, or therapeutic properties.

MATERIAL AND METHOD:

The fresh parts of plants of Tridax procumbens leaves and Curcuma amada rhizomes and Lagenaria siceraria fruit were collected at the flowering stage in August from side of Khadkpurna River, Deulgaon Raja, and Maharashtra State, India.

The methodology use in these research study firstly performulation study for the determine the necessary physicochemical parameter of a new drug substance. In the preformulation studies organoleptic Characterization Colour, odour, shape, test and size were observed and studied the physicochemical characteristics.

The plants used in this study were carefully chosen, cleaned to get rid of contaminants, and shade-dried before the ethanol extract of Tridax procumbens leaves, Curcuma amada rhizomes, and Lagenaria siceraria fruit was prepared. In the mechanical grinder, the dried material was ground into a fine powder.  After passing through sieve number 43, the fine powder was put away for later use in an airtight container.  Using a Soxhlet equipment and ethanol as a solvent, approximately 100 grams of powdered material were extracted using a hot extraction process.

 After the extraction process was completed and the solvent in the thimble turned clear, a few drops of the solvent were collected in the test tube and the solvent was subjected to a chemical test. The extract was dried in a rotary vacuum evaporator following each extraction.  Additionally, a portion of the extract was saved for first phytochemical screening in order to identify different plant components, while the remainder was utilized to create gel batches.

In a phytochemical investigation a qualitative chemical analysis was performed on the alcoholic extract.  To check for the presence of different phytochemical elements in the extract, the following methods were used. Steroids, terpenoids, carotenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponin, and glycosides are the most significant of these bioactive plant components.  In order to create safe and efficient medications, lead optimization tools use phytochemicals as templates.  To check for the presence of different chemical ingredients in the extract, the qualitative test were used. After phytochemical investigation the analytical work were studied specially in the thin layer chromatography, Some quantitate analysis for the determination of total flavonoids and phenolic contents.

Formulation of Gel

In a 250 ml beaker, a weighted amount of carbopol was gradually dissolved in 50 ml of pure water.  Then, to create a gel base, the liquid was rapidly agitated using a mechanical stirrer.  Propylene glycol was added after the necessary amount of methyl and propyl paraben had been dissolved in a tiny amount of distilled water over a water bath and allowed to cool.  Additionally, the necessary amount of Curcuma amada rhizome Extract of Ethanol, Leaves of Tridax procumbens, Lagenaria siceraria fruit ethanol extract was added to the combination above, and the remaining distilled water was added to get the volume up to 100 ml.  Every item was well combined while being constantly stirred.  Drop by drop, tri-ethanolamine was added to the recipe to change the pH of the skin and create a gel with the right consistency.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The utilization of Tridax procumbens, which has qualities like green color, distinctive odor, mucilaginous, and slightly bitter taste, has a scientific foundation according to the findings of an organoleptic investigation.

Curcuma amada (mango ginger) rhizomes are distinguished by their bright orange interior and light yellow to brown outside.  They smell strongly of something aromatic and have a spicy, slightly bitter taste that some sources compare to raw mango.

Table 1: Organoleptic Characteristics of selected herbal parts of plants

Table 2: Extractive value of different plant extract

Phytochemical screening of various extracts of Curcuma amada & Tridax procumbens and Lagenaria siceraria are: Ethanol Extract of Curcuma amada shown Alkaloids, Phenol, Flavonoid, Steroids and Carbohydrates. Ethanol Extract of Tridax procumbens shown Alkaloids, Tannin, and Phenol, Flavonoid and Steroids and ethanol extracts of Lagenaria siceraria shown Alkaloids, Phenol, and Flavonoid.

Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC): Assessment of secondary metabolites were observed by TLC. Ethanol extracts of Curcuma amada samples developing solvent and the Rf value was found to be 0.49.  Ethanol extracts of Tridax procumbens samples developing solvent and the Rf value was found to be 0.49. Ethanol Extract of Lagenaria siceraria samples developing solvent and the Rf value was found to be 0.48.

Determination of total phenol and flavonoid content

The ethanol extract of Curcuma amada had a total phenolic content of 41.2 ± 0.31 and 37.2 ± 0.31 mg of gallic acid/g. The total phenolic content of the ethanol extracts of Tridax procumbens and Lagenaria siceraria was determined to be 35.5 ± 0.14 and 33.2 ± 0.41 mg of gallic acid/g, respectively.  The total amount of phenolic content was 31.6 ± 0.14.

Rutin was used as the benchmark to calculate the total flavonoid content.  It was discovered that the ethanol extract of curcuma amada contained 30.33±0.04 and 31.5±0.05 mg of rutin/g. The ethanol extract of Tridax procumbens has a total flavonoid concentration of 28.6±0.01 and 33.8±0.03 mg of rutin/g. Rutin levels in ethanol solutions were determined to be 31.33±0.05 and 29.5±0.04 mg/g.

Evaluation of Topical Gel Formulations

Table 3: Viscosity of formulation

Table 4: Drug content

The synthesized topical gel's physical appearance, extrudability, and spreadability did not alter after a month of storage, according to herbal accelerated stability testing.  After a month of storage, the produced gel's pH was consistently measured by its spreadability.  After one month of accelerated stability, the drug level was being maintained by the gel formulation.

Table 5: Stability study for optimized formulation batch (FG5)