Preparation and Preformulation Study of Tithonia Diversifolia Dry Extract as a Potential Antimalarial Pharmaceutical Raw Material

Abstract

Comprehensive physicochemical characterization is essential in the development of pharmaceutical dosage forms to ensure quality, stability, and performance. This study aimed to prepare and evaluate the preformulation characteristics of Tithonia diversifolia leaf dry extract as a candidate for antimalarial drug development. Extraction was performed by maceration using 96% ethanol, followed by vacuum drying with colloidal silicon dioxide (Cab-O-Sil) at concentrations of 10–40% w/w. The resulting dry extract exhibited a dark green color, characteristic odor, and bitter taste. The terpenoid content was determined to be 2.9720 ± 0.0551% w/w using TLC-densitometry. Scanning electron microscopy revealed irregular particle morphology with rough surfaces and particle size distribution of 10–50 µm. Flow properties showed an angle of repose of 12.68–22.45° and flow rate of 0.89–7.35 g/s, indicating good flowability. Moisture content ranged from 0.2–0.4% w/w, while maximum water uptake reached 9.47% at 21.5°C. Density analysis demonstrated true density of 1.3589 ± 0.0781 g/mL, bulk density of 0.4215 ± 0.0473 g/mL, and tapped density of 0.5093 ± 0.0334 g/mL. These findings indicate that the extract possesses suitable physicochemical properties for further development into solid dosage forms.