Volume : 12, Issue : 11, November – 2025

Title:

FORMULATION, DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF RIPASUDIL HCL LOADED IN SITU GEL

Authors :

Shubham Vithoba Jumde* Dr. Ankita Shukla, Dr. Balasubramanium Arumugam

Abstract :

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, primarily managed by reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) using pharmacological agents. Ripasudil hydrochloride (Ripasudil HCl), a selective Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, has shown potent IOP-lowering activity; however, conventional eye drops suffer from poor ocular bioavailability and rapid precorneal elimination. The present study aimed to formulate, develop, and characterize Ripasudil HCl-loaded in situ gel to enhance ocular residence time and provide sustained drug release. Nine formulations (F1–F9) were prepared using polymers such as Carbopol, HPMC, and Pluronic F68, and evaluated for clarity, drug content, pH, in situ gelling capacity, viscosity, and in vitro drug release. Among these, formulation F5 exhibited optimal characteristics, including high drug content (99.05 ± 0.95%), appropriate pH (5.0 ± 0.1), immediate gelation with prolonged retention, and sustained release of Ripasudil up to 5 hours. Stability studies confirmed that F5 maintained its physicochemical properties under accelerated conditions. The optimized Ripasudil HCl in situ gel represents a promising ocular drug delivery system, offering improved bioavailability, reduced dosing frequency, and enhanced patient compliance for glaucoma management.
Keywords: Ripasudil HCl; In situ gel; Ocular drug delivery; Rho kinase inhibitor; Sustained release; Glaucoma; Pluronic F68

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