Quality assessment of commercial formulations of tin based herbal drug by physico-chemical fingerprints

Abstract

The Tin based herbal drug Vanga Parpam is extensively used for treating urino genital infections, Odema, Polydepsia and Dyspepsia effectively. There are no reports of physico chemical fingerprints for the tin based drug available. Proper characterization techniques are required for checking the quality of the commercial samples, in terms of the physical and chemical constitution to meet the expected criteria to support its use worldwide. Two popular commercial brands such drug were characterized and compared in terms of morphology, composition, crystal lattice, and oxidation state of the active metal. Physico-chemical fingerprints were generated for the samples using analytical techniques like Powder X ray crystallography, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X ray Analysis and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Fourier Transformed Infra Red spectroscopy. It was found that the percentage of tin varied drastically in both brands along with a difference in the percentage composition of other elements and surface morphology which would have significant impact on the therapeutic efficacy and pharmacological activity of the drug samples. The current study appropriately substantiated the need for the use of modern analytical techniques in the establishment of quality and safety assurance of such potent drug.