DOI: 10.36347/sajp

Pages: 1-5

Sodium Alginate is a natural amylose carbohydrate distilled from alga. In the area of topical ocular administration, important efforts concern the design and the conception of new ophthalmic drug delivery systems which are able to prolong the residence time. The use of inserts, which are solid devices to be placed in the cul-the-sac or on the cornea, represents one of the possibilities to reach increased residence time and thus improve bioavailability. Naturally occurring water-soluble anionic polysaccharides which are hydrophilic, but can be made insoluble by cross-linking with polyvalent cations are preferred. These are compatible with the tissues of the eye and are bioerodible. They include the seaweed gums such as algin, alginic acid, etc. In the present work, Sodium alginate as a bioerodible material was studied and evaluated for its possible utilization as an ocular insert. The alginate films were hardened using three different polymetallic salts like Calcium Chloride(CaCl2), Barium Chloride (BaCl2) and Zinc Chloride (ZnCl2). Commonly used ophthalmic drug-Timolol maleate was tried. Later the effects of hydrophobic coating on the release rates were studied by coating the film with 4% Ethyl cellulose in Chloroform. It was seen that Sodium alginate films insolubilized using CaCl2, BaCl2 and ZnCl2 could be used as bio-erodible material for ophthalmic use. The films showed promising drug release through diffusion controlled release process. Coating with hydrophobic material was found to decrease the initial fast release though the pattern remained unchanged. Thus Sodium alginate films hardened with Ethyl cellulose shows promising effect as a bio-erodible material for ocular inserts.