Formulation and Development of Euphorbia hirta Phytosomes Capsule for Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection

Background

Euphorbia hirta, also known as the "asthma plant" or "snake weed," belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. However, its oral use as a drug has certain limitations, such as low bioavailability and high first-pass metabolism. Traditional treatment options like tablets and capsules available in the market often require high doses and frequent administration. To overcome these limitations, researchers aimed to develop an improved drug delivery system using Euphorbia hirta in the form of phytosomes.

Materials and Methods

Phytosomes of Euphorbia hirta Extract (EHE) were developed using Thin Film Hydration Technique and evaluated them through different tests, such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), drug entrapment, in addition to in vitro release investigations.

Results and Conclusion

Amongst the formulations tested, F9 exhibited the best drug content and entrapment efficiency, with a drug entrapment of 95.89%. The in vitro release studies showed that the formulated phytosomes, particularly formulation F9, achieved the desired drug release of 49.60% over an extended period of 12 hr. Subsequently, the selected formulation was encapsulated into capsules and compared with the available market product, demonstrating sustained release properties with 63.20% drug release over 12 hr. In conclusion, formulation F9 successfully transformed the crude extract of Euphorbia hirta into a novel targeted drug delivery system in the form of phytosomes. This system holds promise for effectively treating medically challenging diseases like Urinary Tract Infections (UTI).