Immunomodulary therapy using phytosomes containing Nymphaea nouchali extract complexed with phospholipids.

Immunomodulators are those which modify the immune response or the functioning of the immune system by the stimulation of antibody formation or the inhibition of white blood cell activity. Immunotherapy, a biologic therapy is designed to treat a disease either by eliciting an immune response i.e. activation immunotherapy or by reducing an immune response i.e. suppression immunotherapy. Phytosomes, an endowed vesicular drug delivery system is formulated to distribute various active phytocomponents at the target site for a wide range of pharmaceutical applications. Nymphaea nouchali (Nn), Indian Red Water Lily, belonging to the genus Nymphaea and family Nymphaeaceae is well thought-out as a medicinal plant under Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine. Nn has been reported to use in treatment of diabetes, tumor, inflammation, liver and urinary disorders, menstruation, and indigestion problems. The aim of the proposed research work is to formulate and evaluate the immunomodulant efficacy of the phytoconstituents present in Nn extract complexed with various phospholipids with the objectives of improving efficacy of the phytoconstituents, bioavailability and thereby treatment strategy. In this proposed research work, phytosomes were obtained by reacting different phospholipids (phosphatidic acid, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine) in tetrahydrofuran with the selected botanical derivatives in dioxane: methanol solvent system by solvent evaporation technique using rotary flash evaporator by employing different molar ratios of drug and phospholipids. Evaluation includes UV spectrophotometric, FT-IR spectroscopic and DSC studies; surface morphology and particle size distribution; drug content, entrapment efficiency, in vitro diffusion and stability studies. In vivo immunomodulant activity was measured in terms of delayed type hypersentivity (DTH) reaction and humoral antibody response in mice performed at SASTRA University, Tamil Nadu. As compared to crude drug and other conventional dosage form, the results revealed that the optimized phytosomal carrier exhibited significant effect over the release of loaded Nn phytoconstituents. Thus, the phytosomal carriers could be successfully engineered for Nn bioactives with improved in vitro release characteristics and better in vivo immunomodulant activity which shows potential for escalating drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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