DEVELOPMENT AND BIOAVAILABILITY PROFILING OF LIQUID FORMULATION CONTAINING METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF BETA VULGARIS

Objective: The study focused on the development and assessment of an oral herbal suspension containing methanolic extract of Beta vulgaris and investigate its vitro bioavailability profile. Methods: Soxhlet extraction was employed to obtain the extract and subjected to phytochemical screening and quantitative estimation of betacyanin. Seven formulations (F1-F7) were developed using the trituration method with varying concentrations of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The formulations were assessed for key physicochemical attributes, including sedimentation behavior, redispersibility, viscosity, pH, particle size distribution, and flow characteristics. The release characteristics of the formulation were examined using a dialysis bag diffusion setup in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The release profiles were fitted to different kinetic models, including zero-order, first-order, and Higuchi models, to gain insight into the drug-release process. Stability studies were conducted for three months under different conditions. Results: Phytochemical evaluation showed that the extract contained appreciable amounts of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic compounds. The betacyanin pe was measured to be 57.95 mg per g. Among all formulations, F3 showed optimal performance with good sedimentation volume, redispersibility, viscosity (51.4 cP), and pH (7.16). It exhibited maximum drug release (94.46%) within 15 minutes. The highest correlation was observed with the zero-order model (R² = 0.977), indicating a nearly constant drug-release rate throughout the study. Stability studies also indicates that the formulation retained its physicochemical integrity throughout the evaluation period. Conclusion: The formulated herbal suspension demonstrated satisfactory physicochemical characteristics and enhanced in vitro bioavailability, shows its potential as an effective oral delivery system.