Curcumin-loaded chitosan thermosensitive hydrogel with sustained release for periodontal applications: an in vitro evaluation.

Sustained Release and Therapeutic Evaluation of Simvastatin‐Loaded Bioglass–Chitosan Gel Formulation for Skin Regeneration and Wound Healing Potential

Findings suggest that the synthesized hydrogel (BSG‐CHI) provides a favorable microenvironment for tissue regeneration and wound management applications.

Development of Morin‐Loaded Hydrogel as a Bioactive Platform for Potential Topical Applications: Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Drug–Polymer Interactions

The fabrication of a biopolymeric platform for topical delivery of morin (M), a bioactive flavonoid with antioxidant and anticancer properties, is fabricated providing guidelines for the development of hydrogel‐based topical delivery systems.

Design and evaluation of chitosan/gellan gum hybrid in situ forming implants for delivering ciprofloxacin for periodontitis treatment.

Periodontitis is a chronic oral inflammatory disease commonly caused by bacterial infection that affects oral health. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is an antimicrobial agent with low water solubility (0.067 mg/mL at 25 °C, pH 7.5) and poor permeability. This research aims at fabricating chitosan/gellan gum hybrid extended release in-situ forming implants (CG-IFIs) loaded with CIP/Poloxamer 407 solid dispersion for treatment of periodontitis. Solid dispersions were loaded into chitosan/gellan gum matrix, cross linked with 2% w/v sodium bicarbonate. Upon exposing the implants to body temperature, a sol-gel transition occurs. The implants were evaluated for gelation time, injectability, in-vitro drug release, surface morphology and erosion rate. Results indicated that formulation (CG-IFI3) comprising 1% (w/v) chitosan, 0.2% (w/v) gellan gum, and a 2:1 w/w ratio of Poloxamer 407/CIP solid dispersion exhibited an appropriate gelation time (12 ± 2.5 min), favorable flow rate (0.83 ± 0.05 ml/min), and sustained drug release over two weeks. The selected formulation (CG-IFI3) was injected intragingivally into the mandibular incisive region of a rat model after induction of periodontitis via the ligature method. After 15 days of treatment, CG-IFI3 significantly reduced periodontal inflammation, vascular congestion, and tissue infiltration. These findings suggest that CG-IFI3 is a promising localized delivery system for managing periodontitis.

GelMA-Based Hydrogels for Controlled Delivery of Antimicrobial Peptides against Candida albicans Biofilm

Objective: This study aimed to engineer and characterize GelMA hydrogels and dual-cross-linked GelMA–alginate hydrogels as tunable delivery platforms for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs; Histatin-5, GK-17, and INLK), and to evaluate their physicochemical properties, release kinetics, cytocompatibility, and antibiofilm efficacy against Candida albicans. Methods: Hydrogels with varying GelMA concentrations (5%, 7.5%, and 10%), with or without alginate, were fabricated and characterized in terms of microstructure, rheological and mechanical properties, swelling, degradation, and AMP release kinetics. Cytocompatibility was assessed using human gingival fibroblasts, and antimicrobial activity was evaluated through colony-forming unit counts, metabolic activity assays, biomass quantification, and confocal microscopy. Results: All hydrogels exhibited suitable moldability, pseudoplastic behavior, and structural stability. Increasing GelMA concentration and alginate incorporation enhanced mechanical properties: G10 displayed a higher compressive modulus (12,437.39 ± 565.33 Pa; p < 0.0001) compared with the other GelMA-only groups, while G7.5A showed the highest value overall (18,090.45 ± 2324.12 Pa; p < 0.0001). Sustained peptide release was observed over 48 h, with faster release from lower GelMA concentrations; G5 released 20.46% of Histatin-5-FAM after 48 h (p < 0.006). All formulations showed high cytocompatibility, with viability exceeding 100% at 24 h, indicating a stimulatory effect on fibroblast metabolic activity rather than mere absence of cytotoxicity. Hydrogels loaded with INLK or GK-17 significantly reduced C. albicans biofilm viability, biomass, and metabolic activity, whereas unloaded hydrogels showed no antifungal effect. G5-INLK reduced biofilm viability by approximately 1.6 log (p < 0.006) among the GelMA 5% groups, G7.5-INLK and G7.5-GK-17 reduced it by approximately 2 log (p < 0.0001), and G10-INLK produced a 0.9–1.2 log reduction. Conclusion: GelMA-based hydrogels provide a tunable and biocompatible platform for controlled AMP delivery, enabling effective disruption of C. albicans biofilms. This approach represents a promising strategy for the localized treatment of C. albicans-associated oral biofilm infections.

Multifunctional dual drug-loaded Gel-Alg/MINO/MEL composite hydrogel for combating three-dimensional multi-species biofilm and experimental periodontitis treatment

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of a bioactive polysaccharide based self-healing hydrogel film for enhanced wound healing.

The objective of this research was to develop a carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) loaded borax cross-linked guar gum (GG) self-healing hydrogel film dressing for enhanced wound healing. Cross-links between borax and GG were confirmed through FTIR, SEM, and zeta potential measurement. The optimized formulation demonstrated favourable characteristics, including a thickness of 0.25 ± 0.008 mm, a water vapour transmission rate of 592.9 ± 55.1 g m-2 day-1, tensile strength of 37 ± 1 MPa in the wet state and 61.33 ± 4.16 MPa in the dry state, a swelling ratio of 557.84%, and 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of 53.132 ± 1.02%. Furthermore, the optimized formulation exhibited a healing efficiency of 43.949 ± 0.56%, as determined by tensile strength measurements of the self-healed hydrogel film dressings after 6 h. Antimicrobial testing revealed broad-spectrum activity against wound-associated pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated through in vivo experiments using a rat full-thickness wound model, which demonstrated that the optimized formulation achieved greater wound closure than commercial Tegaderm and ofloxacin loaded dressings. The CMCS-loaded hydrogel film dressing showed significantly higher hydroxyproline levels than the commercial Tegaderm and ofloxacin dressings. Hydroxyproline levels increased from day 7 and day 14, indicating progressive collagen synthesis. Histopathology analysis revealed that the CMCS-loaded hydrogel film dressing promoted faster re-epithelialization, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and enhanced granulation tissue formation compared to Tegaderm and ofloxacin dressings.