Development and Evaluation of Polyherbal Formulations for Hepatoprotective Activity

Background: Liver is one of the most important human organs and is a sensitive target for chemicals that modulate biotransformation. The present study aimed to develop a polyherbal formulation in the form of both capsules (solid dosage form) and suspensions (liquid dosage form) with the combination of powders of Ricinus communis leaves, Allium sativum cloves, and Piper nigrum seeds and evaluated for hepatoprotective activity. Materials and Methods: Three batches of each formulation (CF1, CF2, CF3 for capsules and SF1, SF2, SF3 for suspensions) were developed by varying starch (as binder) concentration for granulation in capsules and by varying concentrations of sodium CMC (carboxy methyl cellulose) a thickening agent in suspension formulations. These were initially evaluated for invitro parameters. Then calculated OD (overall desirability) factor for both formulations based on good flow properties and pourable viscosity of capsules and suspensions, respectively. Results: It was found that CF2 and SF1 formulations were selected as the best. Hence, these two formulations were considered for further pharmacological evaluation by ex-vivo studies using rat liver slices with CCl4 triggered lipid peroxidation assay and reduced glutathione assay, which revealed that the CF2 and SF1 formulations effectively prevented lipid peroxidation and considerably increased the glutathione levels. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the polyherbal formulation in both dosage forms could be used for the hepatoprotective activity to treat liver toxicities for adults (capsules) and for pediatric and geriatric (Suspension) patients.