Development and Characterization of Fusidic Acid-Loaded Alginate-Aloe vera Based Hydrogel Film

So my research is focusing on the application of hydrogel films on wound healing and also topical skin delivery, and how we can use natural polysaccharides on preparation and development of hydrogel films. So, as we now have the results, we are looking for the impact of aloe vera at different concentrations on the transdermal delivery of fusidic acid. So does the aloe vera has the ability to improve the permeability and also the penetration of the drug through the skin?

Our next research question is:Will be the incorporation of aloe vera having any effect or any impact on the transdermal drug delivery through the skin? So we will be investigating if incorporating of the aloe vera in the hydrogel film has any improvement on the transdermal drug delivery. So, we will be looking for in vitro skin diffusion by using animal skin.

To begin, prepare 2%sodium alginate and 1%aloe vera solutions in distilled water. Add 200 milligrams of fusidic acid to the sodium alginate solution and stir for one hour. Add glycerol to the sodium alginate solution at concentrations of 10%12%and 14%Next, combine the sodium alginate and aloe vera solutions to achieve final sodium alginate to aloe vera ratios of 100 to 0, 90 to 10, 80 to 20, and 75 to 25.

Cast 25 milliliters of each mixture into glass Petri dishes. Leave the mixtures to dry at room temperature and controlled humidity of 50%for two days. After drying, immerse the films into a calcium chloride solution for five minutes to obtain the hydrogel films.

Wash the resulting films with distilled water and dry them at room temperature. Use a digital micrometer to measure the film thickness at five distinct points. Record the measurements obtained from each point.

To determine the swelling index, cut the film into two by two centimeter squares using a lab knife. Weigh each piece separately. Then, soak the film pieces in PBS at room temperature for 24 hours.

The next day, absorb any excess water on the film surface using filter paper. Weigh the films at different time intervals. Next, to start the water vapor permeability test, cover the opening of a glass beaker containing 50 milliliters of water with filter paper.

Apply a mixture of sodium alginate and aloe vera solution onto the paper and allow it to develop a film. After two days, assess the film's permeability to water based on the decrease in water weight within the beaker. The addition of aloe vera in different ratios influenced the thickness of alginate-based films.

The film with a 25 to 75 aloe vera to alginate ratio exhibited the highest swelling index, reaching approximately 549%after 24 hours compared to the control film, which showed 364.8%Films with added aloe vera demonstrated increased occlusivity, indicating a significant decrease in water vapor permeability.