Abstract

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF NIGELLA SATIVA TRANSDERMAL PATCHES FOR ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY

Barish, M. Mumtaj Begum*, E. Abraham Theodore and R. Venkatanarayanan

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Abstract

The seeds of Nigella sativa L., commonly known as black cumin seeds, have been used in traditional medicine by many Asian, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern Countries to treat headache, coughs, abdominal pain, diarrhea, asthma, rheumatism and other diseases. The pharmacological studies have shown that the aqueous and oil extracts of the seeds have been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, analgesic and antimicrobial activities. Thymoquinone, the most abundant constituent of black seed essential oil, has been shown to be the active principle responsible for many of the seeds’ beneficial effects. In this study, Transdermal Patches containing Nigella sativa (NS) were prepared by Solvent Casting Technique using two different natural polymers, Pectin and Bovine Serum Albumin in various ratios using Polyethylene Glycol 400 as enhancer. The prepared patches were studied and optimized with respect to physicochemical characters, drug-excipient interaction, in-vitro dissolution, release kinetics studies. The combination of Pectin and Polyethylene Glycol produces smooth flexible films. The In-vitro Dissolution studies revealed that the cumulative amount of drug released was decreased as the polymer content of the film increased. Based on the in-vitro drug release studies, P2 [NS-Pectin (1:0.5)] was found to be better formulation with reliable physicochemical characteristics and it released a maximum amount of drug and followed zero order kinetics. It is concluded as the optimized formulation for effective drug delivery and can be targeted to the cancer cells and produce sustained drug delivery.

Keywords: Transdermal patches, Nigella sativa, Pectin, Bovine Serum Albumin, Solvent Casting Technique, Franz Diffusion Cell, Anticancer activity.