C. Aparna*, K. Moulika
Department of Pharmaceutics, Sri Venkateshwara college of pharmacy 86, Hi-tech city road, Madhapur, Hyd-500081, Telangana, India.
*Address for Corresponding author
Dr. C. Aparna
Department of Pharmaceutics, Sri Venkateshwara college of pharmacy 86, Hi-tech city road, Madhapur, Hyd-500081, Telangana, India.
Abstract
Background: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, the roots of the plants are also known for its antimicrobial activity apart from adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory and stress relieving properties. It contains steroidal compounds known as withanolides including withaferin A and withanolide D. These have been reported to be responsible for most of the biological activity. Objective: The main objective of the present study was to design, develop and evaluate topical creams and gels of ashwagandha. Materials and methods: In the present investigation, various creams and gels containing ashwagandha root extract were developed. The creams were prepared by fusion method and gels were prepared by dispersion method. The formulations were evaluated for various parameters. Two cream formulations and one gel formulation were selected based on the viscosity, homogeneity, spreadability & pH. Antibacterial and antifungal studies were performed for the best selected formulations of creams & gels using agar well diffusion technique. Results and conclusion: All the selected formulations showed comparable zone of inhibition(zoi) with the standard. But it was observed that gel formulation showed greater zone of inhibition when compared to the cream formulations. This proved that the selected gel formulation G3 has antimicrobial property.
Keywords: Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera, antimicrobial, agar well diffusion, withanolides, antibacterial, antifungal
