[Application of thyme extract in the prescription of dental gels produced on Carbopol base].

Active components of glycol extract from thyme manifest anti-inflammatory and astringent properties which may be also used in dentistry. The assumption of this study was to work out a prescription of dental anti-inflammatory hydrogel containing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and glycol extract from thyme. The aim of this study was to assess pharmaceutical availability and physico-chemical parameters of hydrogels produced on the base of various Carbopols (974P, 971P and AA1). Pharmaceutical availability of therapeutic agents contained in the hydrogel was tested. The rate of the process of mass exchange was tested with spectrophotometric method by determining the quantity of therapeutic agents diffusing into acceptor fluid at identical time intervals. Physicochemical parameters (including viscosity) of the produced preparation were estimated dependently on the vehicle variant components (acrylic acid polymers). Viscosity tests were performed with cone-plate digital rheometer. The kinetics of volatile components from the preparation was estimated by gravimetric method. pH measurements were performed by direct immersion of the electrode connected with the pH-meter in the samples of hydrogels of the same mass. The highest pharmaceutical availability of therapeutic agents was obtained in the tests of a hydrogel with Carbopol 971P. The area under sodium ibuprofen release curve from this hydrogel was estimated as 626.06 of conventional units. The content of active components of thyme extract in the last sample collected during the test of their release was 5.2729 mg/1 cm2 of the release area. Advantageous rheological parameters as regards application such as: low value of structural viscosity (11762 mPa x s at shear rate 2.4 1/s), low value of hysteresis loop (0.51 c.u.) and yield stress (6.51 N/m2) as well as natural pH for oral cavity (6.7) were also obtained for a hydrogel with Carbopol 971P.