Burnet roots extract dry: study of pharmaco-technological and antibacterial properties

Abstract

The basis for timely development of new drug products, in particular the herbal ones, for therapy of the digestive system diseases is an increase in the total number of gastroenterological patients. The surveys of the domestic pharmaceutical market as for the offer of the herbal drug products used for treatment of various diseases of the digestive system have found a limited range of the drugs based on the substances obtained from medicinal herbs and expediency of search for promising herbal sources. Based on the experience of the traditional medicine, Greater Burnet, the herbal raw material of which is used for production of the extract dry, has been selected for further examination. Whereas Burnet roots extract dry is anticipated to underlie the production of the solid dosage forms, examination of its technological properties is justified. The scientific sources portray that the subterraneous organs of Greater Burnet exert the bactericidal effect against microorganisms of intestinal, dysentery and paratyphoid groups, as well as antifungal activity of the tincture of Burnet against 10 archival and clinical strains of Candida fungi, which is a reason for microbiological screening of the obtained extract. The object of this paper is to study the technological parameters of Burnet roots extract dry and to specify its antibacterial effect. Materials and methods. The study object is Burnet roots extract dry. The following methods are used: optical microscopy method for specification of crystallographic characteristics, weight method upon surveying of the extract's moisture absorption. The pharmaco-technological properties (fluidity, bulk density, tapped density, natural slope angle) have been studied; compressibility parameters and Gausner coefficient have been calculated under the methods of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine. The antibacterial properties have been examined at the facilities of the Biochemistry and Biotechnology Laboratory of the State Institution "Mechnikov Institute of Microbiology and Immunology of NAMS of Ukraine" through the method of diffusion in agar in the "wells" modification on the reference testing cultures of microorganisms: P. vulgaris ATCC 4636, B. subtilis ATCC 6633, S. aureus ATCC 25923, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, E. coli ATCC 25922, C. albicans ATCC 885-653 with the use of  the drug product "Chlorophyllipt", alcohol solution 10 mg/ml ("Galychfarm" JSC, "Kyivmedpreparat" JSC, Ukraine) as the comparative drug. The optical density of the microbial suspension of the said microorganisms has been in line with the scale McFarland 0.5 units. The obtained data have been processed statistically in Excel program. Results & discussion. The found anisodiametric shape of the particles of Burnet extract can anticipate a reduction of fluidity. The values of the extract's loss on drying are 3.77±0.10 %. The results of determining the moisture absorption of the extract samples under the conditions of relative air humidity of 75% and 100% prove its hygroscopicity, which, upon creation of a solid dosage form, requires adjustment through processing of the modern auxiliary substances with the moisture-absorbing properties. The technological parameters of Burnet roots extract dry are characterized; reasonableness of selection of the modern auxiliary substances with the aim to improve such technological parameter as fluidity is proven in the paper. The natural slope angle makes 34.20±0.58 degrees, being within the satisfactory range acceptance for the production. The values of Gausner coefficient and compressibility degree show a good fluidity of the extract, however they are not peculiar to its properties. Sensitivity of all the examined testing strains of microorganisms to Burnet extract, including P. vulgaris and P. aeruginosa, is proven; at the same time the comparative drug: "Chlorophyllipt" has shown no antimicrobial effect against them. Conclusions. The pharmaceutical and technological properties of Burnet roots extract dry have been examined; subject to the results our emphasis is given to a thorough approach for selection of auxiliary substances in development of the tablet composition based on it. The antibacterial effect of Burnet extract in respect to the testing strains of microorganisms is determined and microbiological researches as for specification of a potential antihelicobacter effect are scheduled.