Biochemistry & Pharmacology: Open Access
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0501
ISSN: 2167-0501
Sheetal Anandjiwala
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Biochem & Pharmacol
Pharmacokinetic evaluation is very important part of formulation development. Various Ayurvedic and herbal medicinal products are still used without any significant data regarding their pharmacokinetic profile. Kutkin, an iridoind glycoside mixture of Picroside I and II, is the bioactive principle of Picrorrhiza kurroa. P. kurroa is widely used in many Ayurvedic and herbal formulations like Arogyavardhani Vati, Tikkadi Kwath Tiktadighrita. P. kurroa is reported to be effective in many ailments viz. liver disorders, asthma, immunomodulation, cancer, inflammation, etc. A short, quick and high yielding isolation method for Kutkin (Picroside I and II) was developed. Isolated Kutkin was further characterized by co-chromatography, UV, 1 H and 13 C NMR. In order to study the Phase I metabolism, hepatic microsome isolation was performed from Sprague Dawley rats for in vitro metabolic studies. Differential centrifugation method was utilized for the isolation of microsome. Isolated microsomes were stored at -80 �C until the time of enzymatic activity assay. Isolated microsomes were characterized by measurement of total protein and CYP content. For Phase II metabolism, hepatocytes were isolated form rat liver. LC/MS method was developed for analysis of Kutkin and identification of metabolites. LC/MS analysis was performed with Jasco AS 950 HPLC system coupled to Perkin Elmer ion-trap mass spectrometer with ESI source, operated in the positive-ion mode. Two metabolites, each for Picroside I and Picroside II were found in rat liver microsomes in addition to the parent drug. Eight and six metabolites of Picroside I and Picroside II respectively were found in Phase II metabolism study using hepatocytes.
Sheetal Anandjiwala completed her Ph.D. in Biosciences from South Gujarat University, Surat, Gujarat. She is currently a faculty in the Dept. of Natural Products at NIPER-Ahmedabad and is involved in teaching and guiding M.S. Pharm and Ph.D. students. She has won various awards for her research papers as well as for presenting papers at conferences and symposia. She has 25 publications in national as well as international peer reviewed journals, 61 monographs and 2 book chapters to her credit.