PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDY OF OINTMENT BASED ON ZINGIBER OFFICINALE EXTRACT

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium are widely known drugs for the treatment of inflammatory reactions. Prolonged use of drugs inevitably leads to the development of adverse reactions and reduced immunity of patients. Since the reduction of the "drug load" is an urgent task in this situation, an alternative direction to solve it is the use of natural therapeutic factors, the rehabilitation capabilities of which in these conditions are very appropriate and effective. There is a whole arsenal of medicinal plants in the world, they contain a complex of biologically active substances and are not inferior in therapeutic properties to synthetic agents. Among such medicinal plants is Zingiber officinale, which for the past 10 years is actively grown in Ukraine in the city of Kherson. The study shows the relevance of making a mild drug based on a thick extract of the rhizome of Zingiber officinale. It is proved that the extract belongs to low-toxic compounds, which allows its use in the composition of drugs for transdermal administration. An ointment was made on the basis of a thick ginger extract with a content of biologically active substances of 0.025%. The content was standardized according to the content of the sum of polyphenolic compounds. Inflammation was induced by subplantar injection to the plantar fasciitis (aponeurosis) of the hind limb of rats using 30 µL AITC solution (100 µg/limb) in 1,2-propyleneglycol. The dynamics of changes of inflammatory process was evaluated before addition of the inflammation inducer and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 24 hours of its injection for measuring the volume and the thickness of affected limb. Ointment based on ginger extract has a high level of anti-inflammatory properties, which is shown on the basis of the positive dynamics of changes in the morphological parameters of the affected limbs of animals. Prophylactic application of the phytopreparation two days before the start of the experiment helped to block the development of inflammation in comparison with the control group and the reference drug – ibuprofen ointment. The soft dosage form created and studied by us based on the thick extract of Zingiber officinale is an effective anti-inflammatory agent that can not only treat inflammation, but also block its development under previous prophylactic applications.