Abstract

STUDY OF PHARMACOKINETIC INTERACTION OF ARJUNA WITH HARITAKI AND ALOE VERA

Swati R. Dhande*, Shraddha P. Bhutkar and Priyanka A. Wadke

ABSTRACT

Consumption of herbal drug products without consent of physician has become a routine practice, due to the false impression that these products do not require any prescription for administration since they are safe and effective. Many physicians are unaware of such OTC consumption of herbal products, and prescribe other herbal drug preparation to the patients for same or different disorders. Co-administration of such products may either lead to therapeutic failure, adverse effects or depleted efficacy of one or both herbs. One such example is patients being treated with cardioprotective drugs for cardiac ischemia who generally suffer from bowel movement discomfort consume laxatives along with these drugs. The proposed study was undertaken to determine any pharmacokinetic interaction of Arjuna (600 mg/kg/day) with Haritaki churna (100 mg/kg/day) or with Nature’s Flair Aloe vera (200mg/kg/day) in rats. Bioanalytical HPTLC method was successfully developed and was applied on rat plasma in order to evaluate the above said interaction. Data was statistically evaluated in order to check alteration in absorption parameter by determining the change in area under curve (AUC) of Arjunolic acid from Arjuna in presence of Haritaki and in presence of Aloe vera. It was found that when Arjuna was administered with Haritaki or Aloe vera, AUC of Arjunolic acid gradually decreased thus indicating pharmacokinetic interaction between cardioprotective herbal drugs and laxative herbal drugs.

Keywords: Pharmacokinetic interaction, Arjuna, Haritaki, Aloe vera.