Journal of Drug Discovery and Therapeutics

Formulation, Development of Organogel Containing Dexamethasone and Diclofenac for the Treatment of Inflammation

Md Khalid Raza — 2026-05-01

The present study aimed to develop and evaluate an organogel formulation containing dexamethasone and diclofenac for topical drug delivery to enhance anti-inflammatory activity and improve patient compliance. Organogels were prepared using different polymers such as Carbopol 934, HPMC, and Tween 80 in varying concentrations. A total of nine formulations (F1–F9) were developed and evaluated for physicochemical parameters including pH, viscosity, spreadability, gel strength, drug content uniformity, and in vitro drug release. Pre-formulation studies confirmed the purity and compatibility of drugs using FTIR, UV spectroscopy, and melting point determination. The pH of all formulations was found within the acceptable range (6.1–6.7), indicating suitability for topical application. Viscosity and spreadability results showed that formulations exhibited good consistency and ease of application. Drug content uniformity ranged from 97.5% to 101%, confirming uniform distribution.

In vitro drug release studies revealed that formulation F7 showed the highest drug release (98.7% at 8 hours). Drug release kinetics followed the Higuchi model, indicating diffusion-controlled release. Thus, the developed organogel formulation can be considered a promising topical drug delivery system for effective management of inflammation.

Keywords: Organogel, Dexamethasone, Diclofenac, Topical drug delivery, Drug release kinetics.

Formulation, Development and Evaluation of Antifungal Shampoo of Itraconazole with Natural Extract

Jatin Yadav — 2026-05-01

The present study aimed to formulate and evaluate an antifungal shampoo containing itraconazole in combination with natural extracts such as neem, aloe vera, reetha, and shikakai for effective treatment of scalp fungal infections. A total of nine formulations (F1–F9) were developed using aqueous gel-based emulsion technique by varying concentrations of herbal components. Preformulation studies including DSC and FTIR confirmed the purity and compatibility of itraconazole with excipients. The prepared shampoos were evaluated for physicochemical parameters such as pH, viscosity, spreadability, foamability, stability, and drug content. The pH of all formulations ranged from 5.4 to 6.1, suitable for scalp application. Viscosity varied depending on xanthan gum concentration, with F3, F6, and F9 showing higher viscosity. Spreadability and foaming studies indicated good cleansing and application properties. Among all formulations, F6 exhibited optimal performance with balanced viscosity, stable foam, and good spreadability. In vitro drug release studies revealed sustained release of itraconazole up to 79% over 8 hours. Drug release kinetics followed first-order model (R² = 0.998), indicating concentration-dependent release. The formulation also showed significant antifungal activity against fungal strains. Thus, the developed antifungal shampoo represents a promising topical delivery system combining synthetic and herbal agents.

Keywords: Itraconazole, Antifungal shampoo, Herbal extract, Neem, Aloe vera, Drug release kinetics.

Analytical Method Development and Validation of Glimepiride in Tablet Dosage Form by New RP-HPLC

Hemraj Saini — 2026-05-07

A simple, precise, accurate, and stability-indicating reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantitative estimation of Glimepiride in tablet dosage form. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of Acetonitrile: Phosphate Buffer (pH 3.0) in the ratio of 60:40 (v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Detection was carried out at 230 nm using a UV/PDA detector. Under optimized chromatographic conditions, Glimepiride showed a sharp and symmetrical peak with a retention time of approximately 5.8 minutes.

The developed method was validated according to ICH Q2(R1) guidelines for parameters such as system suitability, linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). The method exhibited excellent linearity in the concentration range of 10–60 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient (r² = 0.9994). The %RSD values obtained for intraday and interday precision studies were 0.48% and 0.62%, respectively, indicating good repeatability and reproducibility of the method. Accuracy studies performed by recovery method at 80%, 100%, and 120% levels showed mean recovery of 99.73%, confirming the reliability of the developed method. The calculated LOD and LOQ values were found to be 0.85 µg/mL and 2.58 µg/mL, respectively, demonstrating good sensitivity of the method. Robustness studies revealed that small deliberate changes in chromatographic conditions such as flow rate and wavelength did not significantly affect analytical performance.

The developed RP-HPLC method was found to be simple, rapid, precise, accurate, economical, and suitable for routine quantitative analysis of Glimepiride in bulk drug and marketed tablet dosage forms. The method can also be effectively applied for quality control analysis and stability studies in pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: Glimepiride, RP-HPLC, Method validation, Stability-indicating method, Tablet dosage form, ICH guidelines