Volume 1 • Issue 1 • 1000103 13 Madridge J Pharm Res. ISSN: 2638-1591 Madridge Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Research Article Open Access Dorzolamide in situ Gel Forming System: Characterization and Evaluation for Glaucoma Treatment Puneet Kataria 1 , Rajesh Katara 1 , Pravat K Sahoo 1 and Sameer Sachdeva 1,2 * 1 Department of Pharmaceutics, Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, (Formerly College of Pharmacy), University of Delhi, Pushp Vihar, Sector III, New Delhi-110017 , India 2 Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA Article Info *Corresponding author: Sameer Sachdeva Research Scientist Amneal Pharmaceuticals Piscataway NJ 08854 USA Tel: 3123153194 E-mail: samsach14@gmail.com Received: May 2, 2017 Accepted: June 23, 2017 Published: June 30, 2017 Citation: Kataria P, Katara R, Sahoo PK, Sachdeva S. Dorzolamide in situ Gel Forming System: Characterization and Evaluation for Glaucoma Treatment. Madridge J Pharm Res. 2017; 1(1): 13-21. doi: 10.18689/mjpr-1000103 Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Published by Madridge Publishers Abstract The objective of the present study was to develop an efficient in situ gel forming system of Dorzolamide for the treatment of glaucoma. The in situ gel was formulated using alginate and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) polymer combination. The developed formulation was characterized for various in vitro parameters e.g. drug content, pH, isotonicity, surface tension, rheological behavior, drug release profile and transcorneal permeation. The rheological behavior of all formulations was not affected by the incorporation of the drug. The bioadhesive strength of the developed formulation was found to be 0.311 Nmm. The optimized formulation was stable and non-irritant to rabbit eyes. In vitro drug release was found to be 91.27 ± 0.61 % over a period of 10 hours. The best-fit kinetic model (Korsmeyer model) for the optimized formulation DIG 8 suggests that the drug release via Fickian-diffusion mechanism. A maximum mean difference of 27.4% in lowering intra ocular pressure was observed between control and treated eyes with optimized formulation after water loading (p<0.01). The in situ alginate/HPMC gel forming system could be a potential approach for Dorzolamide formulation to enhance ocular bioavailability for the treatment of glaucoma, ultimately improving the patient compliance. Keywords: In Situ Gel; Dorzolamide; Alginate; Intraocular pressure; Ocular delivery. Introduction Medications for ocular diseases are often administered topically to attain a higher concentration at the local site and to avoid any systemic side effects. Ocular diseases like conjunctivitis, uveitis and glaucoma are generally treated with solutions, suspension and semisolids like ointments and gels [1-3]. Conventional liquid ophthalmic formulations results in poor bioavailability and decreased therapeutic response due to high tear turn over and constant lachrymal drainage in the eye [4]. The constant tear drainage sweeps away a large portion of the applied drug solution via nasolachrymal duct to the gastro-intestinal tract from where it may be absorbed systemically, causing untoward side effects [2]. Moreover, conventional dosing shows an initial peak level of the drug, which may be usually several folds higher than the required therapeutic level, imparting the reason for toxicity again. Other preparations like ointments, suspensions, inserts and aqueous gels are capable to extend the pre-corneal residence time and slow down the drug elimination ISSN: 2638-1591