Intravenous administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for colon cancer therapy produces severe systemic side-effects due to its cytotoxic effect on normal cells. The main objective of the present study was to develop novel oral site-specific delivery of 5-FU to the colon with less drug being released in the stomach or small intestine using biodegradable hydrogel, hydrogel nanoparticles and comparing the targeting efficiency of 5-FU to colon from both. Poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) (P(AA-co-Am)) normal hydrogel and hydrogel nanoparticles (HN) were synthesized by free radical polymerization using N,N-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) as cross-linker, potassium persulfate as reaction initiator and 5-FU was loaded. HN were found to be degradable in physiological medium and showed comparatively higher swelling in rat caecal medium (RCM). 5-FU entrapment was increased by increasing Am (wt%) monomer feed. In vitro release of 5-FU from normal hydrogel and HN in pH progressive medium, it was found that a AA/Am ratio of 25:75 showed higher release in RCM. The Higuchi model yielded good adjustment of in vitro release kinetics. A higher amount of 5-FU reached the colon in HN (61 +/- 2.1%) than normal hydrogel (40 +/- 3.6%) by organ biodistribution studies in albino rats.

Hydrogels are of great interest in delivering drugs through their polymeric network. Hydrogels of macroporous copolymer 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with acrylic acid (AA) were prepared in the presence of N,N 0 -methylene-bis-acrylamide as crosslinker and benzoyl peroxide as initiator. The structure of the copolymer, hydrogel character, and biodegradability have already been discussed in our previous article (Mohapatra et al., Polym Polym Compos 2005, 13, 807) entitled P(HEMA-co-AA) as Novel Biodegradable Macroporous Hydrogel. The current study involves the in vitro and in vivo release of alfuzosin hydrochloride at pH 7.0 and 9.2, taking different concentrations of drug and hydrogel. The percentage of drug entrapment study was done and the stability study was also performed according to I.C.H. guidelines for a period of 6 months giving satisfactory results.

Purpose: An ultraviolet spectrophotometric system was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of lornoxicam in solid dosage forms. Methods:Lornoxicam was dissolved in 0.01M NaOH and analysed using ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry. Various analytical parameters such as linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD)

Hydrogels of macroporous copolymer, 2-hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate with acrylic acid, were prepared in the presence of N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide as crosslinker and benzoyl peroxide as initiator. The structure of the copolymer was characterized by FT-IR, H1-NMR and scanning electron microscopy and the thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis. Its hydrogel character was observed by studying the swelling of the copolymers simply by measuring weight gain and weight loss. The swelling was determined in distilled water, saline solution and buffers of pH, 4 and 9.2, was found to increase with increasing pH, attaining a maximum at pH 9.2. The biodegradability of the copolymers was studied by introducing microbes to the culture media along with the prepared sample and it was verified by examining the surface morphology by SEM. The rate of biodegradation was monitored by the CO2 release method.

Herbal medicinal plants have been explored for a variety of pharmacological properties but still a large number of phytoconstituents are still unexplored. The manuscript aims to assess the anticancer property of Leucas cephalotes (Roth) Spreng, Acalypha indica L. and Lantana camara L. extracts on MDA-MB-231, A-549, PC-3 and Hep-G2 cell lines. The ethanol extract of the selected plants was explored for anticancer activity by SRB assay. Since L. camara exhibited promising activity, this plant’s successive extraction in diff erent extracts (n-hexane, chloroform, ethanol and hydroalcoholic) was further studied. All the extracts were screened for anticancer activity by SRB assay on MDA-MB-231 and A-549 cell lines. Additionally, the apoptotic assay was carried out on n-hexane and chloroform extracts on A-549 cell lines. GCMS also analyzed both extracts for characterization of the phytoconstituents. Obtained data indicate that n-Hexane and chloroform extracts of L. camara showed promising anticancer activity on MDA-MB-231 and A-549 cell lines. Both extracts also induced apoptosis in A-549 cell line. GC-MS data of L. camara extracts revealed the presence of 25 and 19 compounds in n-hexane and chloroform extract, respectively. The present study shows that L. camara has strong anticancer properties against lung cancer cell lines compared to breast, prostate, and hepatoma cancer cell lines