Preparation and in vivo evaluation of sodium alginate - poly (vinyl alcohol) electrospun nanofibers of forskolin for glaucoma treatment

The present investigation is aiming to prepare Sodium Alginate (SA) - Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibrous mats of Forskolin (FSK) for ocular delivery to treat the glaucoma. Nanofibers of SA: PVA (1:0.25) load with beta- cyclodextrin- FSK solid dispersion were successfully prepared by an electrospinning technique. Eight formulations were Prepared and evaluated for drug content, scanning electron microscopy, degree of swelling, drug release and In Vivo Intra ocular pressure (IOP) reduction studies. The morphological studies revealed that average diameter of prepare nano fibers were decreased for formulations with low polymer concentration. Less diameter and uniform surface was observed for formulations F4 and F8 which are prepared under applied voltage 20kV, Capillary tip-to-Collector distance 15cm conditions. From the degree of swelling studies, it was observed that thinner the nanofiber mats, the greater the degree of swelling. The burst release within one hour was seen for F1 to F4 formulations whereas up to 90 min for F5 to F8 formulations. Release kinetic studies revealed that release of drug from the Nanofibrous mats have followed zero order kinetics. The results of in vivo IOP reduction studies suggested that FSK loaded Nanofibrous mats formulation (F4) produced a significant and controlled reduction in IOP throughout 45h.