Development and Evaluation of Bentonite-Treated CARICA PAPAYA Leaf Extract Lozenges for Management of Dengue-Associated Thrombocytopenia

Dengue fever remains an important public health problem and is frequently accompanied by thrombocytopenia, a marked fall in circulating platelet count. Carica papaya leaves have long been used for their reported platelet-boosting and anti-dengue properties, but their pronounced bitterness limits patient acceptability. This study examined whether bentonite treatment could reduce the bitterness of Carica papaya leaf extract without substantially altering its phytochemical content, and whether the treated extract could be formulated into an orally acceptable lozenge. Dried papaya leaves were treated with bentonite at three leaf-to-adsorbent ratios (1:10, 1:15, 1:20) by boiling or submersion, and the treated leaves were assessed for bitterness intensity by a trained sensory panel and for phytochemical content by qualitative screening, thin-layer chromatography and FTIR spectroscopy. Boiling with bentonite at a 1:15 ratio gave the greatest reduction in bitterness while retaining most of the major phytochemical constituents; only tannins and saponins were lost on treatment. The bentonite-treated extract was then formulated into lozenges by the heating-and-congealing method using polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and gelatin as base-forming agents, across five formulations (F1–F5) that varied the PEG:PVP ratio. The formulations showed acceptable average weight (2.16–3.08 g), friability (0.4–0.8%), hardness (10.1–12.2 kg/cm²), drug content (89.2–97.3%), moisture content (0.5–0.8%) and mouth-dissolving time (9.9–14.8 min). Formulation F4 gave the fastest and most complete in vitro drug release, reaching 98.91% within 45 min, and retained its physicochemical characteristics on short-term accelerated stability testing. These findings indicate that bentonite pretreatment can effectively mask the bitterness of Carica papaya leaf extract while preserving key bioactive constituents, and that the treated extract can be formulated into a stable, palatable lozenge with potential application in the supportive management of dengue-associated thrombocytopenia.