Quercetin is a flavonol group compound (part of flavonoids) in fruits and vegetables, as an anti-inflammatory with poor stability. To make anti-inflammatory drug preparations for lungs using inhalation, it is necessary to choose the right dosage form. Microspheres can maintain the stability of quercetin and release the drug continuously. The quercetin in the form of microspheres is expected as an effective medicine for lungs inflammation.

In this study, quercetin was trapped in microspheres made with ca-alginate base by ionic aerosolization with gelation-forming technique and freeze-drying method. The concentration of Ca-alginate tested was 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5% with the same cross-linker, CaCl2 with a concentration of 5.5%. All formulas form a particle size of less than 2 m. Particle size plays an important role in the phagocytosis process in the lungs. All formulas also exhibit good flow properties, and this is important for inhaled drugs. Based on the overall results, which include particle size, yield, drug loading, drug entrapment ability, and physical stability, it shows that the formulation with 1.5% sodium alginate is the optimal formula. At concentration above 1.5%, it showed a decrease in physical character due to the higher viscosity which causes, among other things, the difficulty of the quercetin trapping process. The conclusion of this study was that Ca-alginate is potential as a base for quercetin microspheres intended for the treatment of the lung, which is used by inhalation.

Researchers: Tekla Kalalo, Andang Miatmoko, Hanafi Tanojo, Tristiana Erawati, Dewi Melani Hariyadi, dan Noorma Rosita

Read more of the article: Effect of Sodium Alginate Concentration on Characteristics, Stability and Drug Release of Inhalation Quercetin Microspheres, published at Jurnal Farmasi dan Ilmu Kefarmasian Indonesia a Vol. 9 No. 2 August 2022, 107-114.

At: https://e-journal.unair.ac.id/JFIKI/article/view/32259/22324