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Plant mucilages are commonly employed as excipients in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Ocimum basilicum (Lamiaceae family), a source of hydrophilic mucilage referred herein as Ocicum, was evaluated for the solubility enhancer of a model drug, aceclofenac, in solid dispersions prepared using different methods. Polymer was extracted from O. basilicum and solid dispersions of aceclofenac were fabricated with Ocicum or Poloxamer 407 using polymer-to-drug ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 utilizing solvent evaporation, lyophilization and melt methods. Ocicum was evaluated for its safety via acute toxicity study including different biochemical and hematological parameters including liver and kidney profiles. Moreover, different characterization studies including melting-point, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (TGA) were used for evaluation of polymer and solid dispersions. Furthermore, solubility and dissolution studies were performed to confirm solubility enhancement. Ocicum was found to be safer, and different characterization studies confirmed the purity of the compounds. In addition, Ocicum exhibited up to 6.27-fold enhanced solubility as compared to pure aceclofenac; similarly, 4.51-fold increased solubility by the synthetic polymer in their respective solid dispersions was shown. Furthermore, Ocicum-based solid dispersions showed substantial improvement in dissolution of aceclofenac. Therefore, it can be concluded from the above-mentioned results that Ocicum might be used as an economical natural oral delivery carrier alternative to the synthetic polymers.

Background and objectives: Turmeric has assisted in the control of inflammation and pain for decades and has been used in combination with other nutraceuticals to treat acute and chronic osteoarthritis pain. Recently, the effect of turmeric, turmeric extract, or curcuminoids on musculoskeletal pain, either by themselves or in conjunction with other substances, has been reported. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize turmeric nanoparticles (T-NPs) for various parameters, both in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: The T-NPs were successfully synthesized and characterized using particle size analysis, solubility improvement, SEM, EDX, X-ray diffraction, and in vivo antigout activity in mice model. Results: The T-NPs were of about 46 nm in size with a positive zeta potential +29.55 ± 3.44 and low polydispersity index (PDI) (0.264). Furthermore, the diseased mice, with induced gout via monosodium urate crystals, were treated with 5, 10, and 20 ppm T-NPs, administered orally, and the anti-gout potential was observed through measurement of joint diameter and changes in biochemical parameters, including lipid profile, renal function test, and liver function tests which significantly reduced the levels of these biochemical parameters. Conclusions: Uric acid levels were significantly reduced after the treatment with T-NPs. indicating that T-NPs show superior potential against gout management. Thus, T-NPs can be developed as an efficient antigout agent with minimum toxicities.