Engineering a Nanostructured Hybrid Gel System with Sodium Humate for Enhanced Wound Healing
Source abstract
Abstract
The development of effective topical drug delivery systems remains a key challenge in wound management, particularly for bioactive compounds with limited skin permeability. In this study, a nanostructured bigel system incorporating sodium humate-loaded ultra-deformable vesicles (UDVs) was developed and evaluated for wound healing applications. Sodium humate-loaded UDVs were prepared using a thin-layer hydration method, and the influence of key technological parameters (phospholipid/glycerol concentrations, sonication time) on vesicle size and encapsulation efficiency was investigated. An optimized UDV formulation characterized by small particle size, high stability, and high drug encapsulation efficiency was selected and incorporated into a bigel composed of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose hydrogel and andiroba oil oleogel. The developed bigels were characterized in terms of microstructure, physical stability, pH, spreadability, and rheological behavior, demonstrating suitable properties for dermal application. In vivo wound healing evaluation in rat wound models revealed that bigels containing sodium humate-loaded UDVs significantly enhanced wound closure and tissue regeneration compared to control and reference treatments. Histopathological analysis confirmed improved granulation tissue formation and complete epithelialization. Overall, the results demonstrate that the proposed UDV-loaded hybrid bigel represents a promising nanostructured platform for enhanced dermal delivery and wound healing therapy.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Wound Healing and Treatments · Advancements in Transdermal Drug Delivery · Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, Vasil Aprilov Str. 15A, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, Vasil Aprilov Str. 15A, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Research Institute at Medical University of Plovdiv (RIMU), 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Department of Tobacco, Sugar, Vegetable and Essential Oils, University of Food Technologies, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Department of General and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Funding
European Union · National Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria
References (79)
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