New Antimicrobial Gels Based on Clove Essential Oil-Cyclodextrin Complex and Plant Extracts for Topical Use.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Natural bioactive compounds offer potential for topical antimicrobial therapies.
• Development of stable and effective drug delivery systems is crucial for pharmaceutical applications.
• Hydrogels provide a versatile matrix for encapsulating and delivering active ingredients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize novel hydrogels using natural bioactive compounds for topical antimicrobial use.
• To evaluate the stability, rheological properties, and antimicrobial efficacy of different hydrogel formulations.
• To assess the cytocompatibility of the developed hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of four hydrogel systems using polyacrylic acid, chitosan (high and medium molecular weight), and sodium alginate.
• Incorporation of natural tinctures, essential oils, and essential oil complexes.
• Characterization using macroscopic appearance, rheology, SEM, TG-DTA, and FTIR.
• Antimicrobial activity testing (MIC, antibiofilm) and cytocompatibility assays on HaCaT keratinocytes.

Main Results:

• All hydrogels were stable for over 90 days with homogeneous appearance.
• Chitosan-based gels demonstrated superior antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity (MIC = 2.34 mg/mL).
• Chitosan gels exhibited enhanced cell viability, while alginate gels showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity at high concentrations.

Conclusions:

• Chitosan-based hydrogels incorporating natural bioactive compounds present a favorable combination of stability, potent antimicrobial action, and biocompatibility.
• These findings support the potential of these novel hydrogels for topical pharmaceutical applications.
• Further research into optimizing formulations and in vivo efficacy is warranted.