Abstract

DEVELOPMENT, STANDARDISATION, AND EVALUATION OF TILA YASHTYAADI EYE DROP FOR CORNEAL WOUND HEALING AND ANTI-OPACITY EFFECT IN ALKALI-INDUCED ACUTE CORNEAL INJURY

Dr. Manasi Kini*

Abstract

Alkali burns are among the most severe and vision-threatening forms of chemical ocular injury, capable of causing extensive epithelial loss, stromal collagen destruction, persistent inflammation, secondary neovascularisation, and permanent corneal opacification. Conventional management — irrigation, topical antibiotics, cycloplegics, lubricants, and, in select cases, corticosteroids or collagenase inhibitors — addresses discomfort and secondary infection but carries recognised risks and does not consistently target the inflammatory, proteolytic, and fibrotic mechanisms that drive opacity. This article documents the formulation-development and experimental-evaluation pathway of Tila Yashtyaadi Eye Drop, a polyherbal Ayurvedic formulation combining seven classical dravyas — Tila (Sesamum indicum), Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Nimba Patra (Azadirachta indica), Patol (Trichosanthes dioica), Lodhra (Symplocos racemosa), and Khadira (Acacia catechu) — selected for their classically described Chakshushya (ocular-protective), Shothahara (anti-inflammatory), Vranaropana (wound-healing), and Krimighna (antimicrobial) properties, together with reported multi-target network-pharmacology actions on TNF-α, IL-6, VEGFA, MMP-9, and NF-κB-linked signalling. Raw drugs were authenticated and pharmacognostically standardised against Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) limits, individually extracted by hydroalcoholic Soxhlet extraction, and combined in equal proportion into a single polyherbal eye drop that met all physicochemical and sterility acceptance criteria at preparation and after one month of accelerated stability testing. The finished formulation was then evaluated in an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee-approved in vivo model of 1N NaOH-induced acute corneal injury in albino Wistar rats (six per group; Disease Control, Silver Nitrate 0.1% standard, and Tila Yashtyaadi Eye Drop) over a 14-day treatment period. Tila Yashtyaadi Eye Drop produced a progressive, time-dependent reduction in corneal opacity score (3.83 ± 0.41 to 2.17 ± 0.41), wound area involved score (4.00 ± 0.00 to 2.33 ± 0.52), and opacity index (15.33 ± 1.63 to 5.17 ± 2.04), together with a reduction in the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α (45.26 ± 1.93 to 41.24 ± 3.37 pg/mL) and IL-6 (56.00 ± 1.58 to 54.33 ± 1.78 pg/mL) relative to Disease Control, and histopathological evidence of partial re-epithelialisation and restoration of corneal architecture. Although Silver Nitrate 0.1% produced greater efficacy across all parameters, Tila Yashtyaadi Eye Drop consistently outperformed the untreated Disease Control group, providing scientific support for its traditional use and establishing a foundation for further dose-optimisation, mechanistic, and clinical evaluation.

Keywords: Tila Yashtyaadi Eye Drop; alkali-induced corneal injury; Savrana Shukra; corneal opacity; polyherbal Ayurvedic formulation; Sesamum indicum; Glycyrrhiza glabra; Emblica officinalis; Azadirachta indica; Trichosanthes dioica; Symplocos racemosa; Acacia cate