Mucuna Pruriens Seeds Extract Loaded Phytosomal Intranasal Gel for the Effective Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

One phytoconstituent derived from Mucuna pruriens (legumes) is levodopa. This medication's oral usage is limited by its high first-pass metabolism and low absorption. The goal of the present research was to develop a phytosomal gel filled with levodopa extract for better delivery and brain targeting. Various techniques, including solvent evaporation, salting out anti-solvent precipitation, direct egg yolk, and egg lipids methods, were used to create phytosomal formulations. Scanning electron microscopy, particle size, x-ray diffraction, and other techniques were used to characterize phytosomes. And added into gel formation, the more successful batch was examined for several parameters. The final batch underwent a variety of animal tests, including pharmacokinetic analysis, irritation to the nasal cavity testing. The most effective phytosomes were those made via the antisolvent precipitation approach. In this investigation, a 3²-randomized complete factorial design was employed. Batch F4 had an entrapment efficiency of 70%, a particle size of 15 (μg) and 60% CDR. The gel-formulated batch F4G3 demonstrated improved results in terms of extrudability (90.82), amount of drug (89.32%), viscosity (5421 cps at 100 rpm), and spreadability (25.18). Batch F4G3 of the Mucuna pruriens phytosome gel exhibited Higuchi's kinetics. According to the findings of the animal study, dopamine levels were significantly elevated. The pharmacokinetic and nasal irritation studies showed notable in vitro penetration of the nasal mucosa without resulting in skin irritation. For improving Parkinson's disease treatment, the phytosomal gel formulation delivered via the nasal route would be the ideal option.