M.P. Venkatesh
Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University, India
Title: Targeted drug delivery of injectable in situ gel of Methotrexate sodium for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Biography
Biography: M.P. Venkatesh
Abstract
The present study aims to develop MTX-S (Methotrexate sodium) in situ gels as an effective way for the treatment of rheumatic arthritis (RA). The in situ gels composed of Pluronic F-127 as a polymer and Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose K4M (HPMC K4M) and Polycarbophil (PCL) as copolymers were manufactured by cold method. The in situ gels were characterized for gelation time, gelation temperature, syringeability, viscosity, sterility, in vitro release and drug content. The biocompatibility and efficacy of MTX-S in situ gels ascertained using histology analysis and Freund’s complete adjuvant model respectively. The results of the present study showed that the optimized formulation (M4) was thermo-sensitive and exhibited drug release of 93.26±2.39 at 96 h. Moreover, MTX-S was evenly distributed in the optimized formulation which was sterile and syringeable through 18 gauze needle. In vivo study on the wistar rats showed significant decrease in rat paw volume during a 28 day study period. Thus, MTX-S in situ gel could be successfully used for targeting specific treatment of RA.