Herbal transdermal patch for wound healing: Formulation and in-vitro evaluation

Abstract

Background: The biological process of wound healing is complex that includes tissue regeneration, inflammation and repair and treating it with ointments and dressings, often present challenges related to drug absorption, frequent application and patient discomfort. Transdermal patches have become an innovative drug delivery system to overcome these limitations, in matrix dispersion transdermal patch incorporates the drug into a polymer-solvent mixture, which, after solvent evaporation, forms a uniform drug-polymer matrix. Materials and Methods: The goal of the project was to develop matrix dispersion system transdermal patch containing blend of natural wound healing agents such as aloe vera and turmeric using a combination of biocompatible polymers. Herbal transdermal patch was formulated using HPMC E15 as polymers with polyvinyl alcohol as plasticizer and polyethylene glycol as permeation enhancer. Results: The transdermal patch underwent in-vitro evaluation that includes measurements of its thickness, folding endurance, weight uniformity, percentage of moisture content, pH and estimated curcumin content. Among these nine patches, formulation 6 demonstrated the best properties of the transdermal patch. Conclusion: The results obtained from the study, demonstrated that a transdermal patch containing a combination of turmeric and aloe vera can be effectively made with HPMC E15, polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene glycol. Introduction A wound occurs when biological tissues are harmed [1, 2] and healing involves the complex process of natural physiological actions by regenerating or reconstructing the damaged tissue [3][4]. Open wounds can lead to serious bacterial infections like tetanus or gas gangrene, potentially causing chronic wounds, bone infections, or even death [5]. On the basis of duration of healing wounds are classified in two classes namely, acute or chronic wounds [6]. The process of repairing injured tissue is a multi-phase and highly specialized system [7]. There are different kinds of therapies for repair of skin wounds by the treatment regimens based on pharmacological agent [8] , topical formulations, transdermal patch, wound dressing, skin substitutes, hydrogel-based skin grafts are some examples of conventional non-surgical wound healing remedies. These therapies remove dead tissue, restore moisture and lessen inflammation and infection. For healing wounds topical formulations which is the most popular way to administer drugs to the skin by using gels, emulsions, pastes, creams, foams, lotions and sprays, etc. [9]. These formulations have been tested over the years because of their effectiveness. However, use of it has limited drug availability as a result of their quick clearance from the wound site and staining of bed and clothes which is inconvenient that lacks patient compliance [10]. For centuries, natural substances have been utilized to treat wounds and these natural compounds have been categorized in a number of published reviews according to their properties, bioactivities and modes of action in wound healing applications. Targeting phases of natural products are classified and studied using their four main bioactivities that are collagen promotion, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory [11]. Herbal medicines have been utilized for centuries to treat various illnesses, and many medicinal plants used in these remedies, such as Curcuma longa, Aloe barbadensis, Azadirachta indica, and Carica papaya, have demonstrated effective wound-healing properties, making them beneficial in the treatment of wounds [12] .