FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROSPHERES OF SELECTED ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENT FOR URINARY TRACT INFECTION

The main objective of the present study was to improve bioavailability of cephalexin and decrease the frequency of dosage form administration by increasing the encapsulation efficiency of the drug, residence time of the dosage form at the site of absorption and sustained release of the drug from the delivery system. Cephalexin is a first generation cephalosporin antibiotic and widely used in the treatment of respiratory tract infection. It has an extensive and highly variable hepatic first pass metabolism following oral administration having half life of 1.2 h. The usual dose of cephalexin is 250 mg/day with systemic bioavailability of 23-40 % due to extensive “first-pass ” metabolism and has a narrow absorption window. These characteristics make cephalexin a suitable drug candidate for mucoadhesive drug delivery system. Cephalexin-loaded mucoadhesive microspheres were prepared by ion gelation technique. The mucoadhesive microspheres were prepared by using sodium alginate alone and in combination with guar gum. The size distribution of microspheres had good mucoadhesive properties. The scanning electron microscopy and in vitro dissolution studies were performed to characterize the microspheres