Researchers have designed a magnetic nanosuspension system to deliver metronidazole, a drug of choice to treat intestinal disorders like amoebiasis and giardiasis1. The metronidazole magnetic nanosuspension (MMNS) is more potent than non-magnetic metronidazole suspension (MS) available commercially.
It raises the possibility of controlled drug release with improved bioavailability and better therapeutic efficacy.
Conventional tablets of metronidazole provide minimal amount of drug for the local action in colon, still resulting in the relief of amoebiasis but with systemic side effects. To minimize side effects and devise better controlled release system, the researchers turned their attention to nanoscale systems.
They prepared MMNS by encapsulating metronidazole within a polymer matrix along with magnetite, surfactant and other carrier chemicals. They compared effectiveness of MMNS and MS against Indian adult earthworms. MMNS which released the drug in an identical fashion to the non-magnetic suspension, can be magnetically directed and seem more biologically active to the worms than the non-magnetic preparation.
The authors of this work are from: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Anna University Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu and Centre for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, Punjab, India.
