Formulation and characterization of phospholipid vesicles from alkaloid rich fraction of Alphonsea sclerocarpa

Abstract

A Retrospective ethnopharmacological review on Alphonsea sclerocarpa belonging to Annonaceae family revealed the presence of alkaloids that confers Anti-fungal, Anti-oxidant and Anti-cancer activities etc. to the plant extract. Lower bioavailability of the alkaloids present in the plant and their enormous pharmacological potential has paved a path for this work. Therapeutic effectiveness of any compound with low bioavailability can be achieved by employing novel drug delivery techniques viz-a-viz phytosomes, Liposomes etc. In the present work novel, phospholipid vesicles from Alkaloid Rich Fraction of Alphonsea sclerocarpa were formulated for the enhanced delivery of therapeutically proven alkaloids and were accordingly characterized. Alkaloid Rich Fraction was prepared from the methanol extract by Acid/Base extraction process and was standardized against Boldine using High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). Phospholipid vesicles were prepared by varying the ratios of standardized alkaloid Rich Fraction to Soy Lecithin employing Solvent evaporation method. Among the phospholipid vesicles formulated the vesicles containing 1:1 ratio of Alkaloid Rich Fraction to Soy Lecithin was found to be the smallest and stable. The study has shown that the Phospholipid Vesicles of 1:1 ratio can be used for testing the Pharmacological activities further.