HERBAL-BASED GASTRORETENTIVE FLOATING MICROBALLOONS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THUJA LEAVES EXTRACT

Oral drug delivery, while popular for its convenience, faces challenges like rapid gastric emptying and variable absorption. These issues limit the effectiveness of many drugs, especially those that need to be absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract. To overcome this, gastroretentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS) were developed. These systems prolong a drug's stay in the stomach, which improves its solubility, absorption, and overall effectiveness. Among these, floating drug delivery systems (FDDS), and specifically microballoons (hollow microspheres), are particularly effective. Their low density allows them to float in gastric fluids, extending the drug's retention time and providing a sustained therapeutic effect. The integration of herbal extracts into new drug forms is a growing trend. Thuja occidentalis, or white cedar, is a medicinal plant rich in bioactive compounds like thujone and flavonoids, giving it antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other health benefits. This review focuses on the development of floating microballoons, examining their formulation and evaluation, while also exploring the potential of using Thuja leaves to create Thuja-based herbal microballoons. The goal is to highlight the opportunities and challenges in this field, encouraging more research into these innovative, natural drug delivery systems.