DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF GALLIC ACID-INFUSED MICROCOMPOSITE GEL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22159/ijpps.2026v18i3.56702Keywords:
Gallic acid, Micro composite gel, Chitosan-alginate, Wound healing, Controlled drug delivery, Ionic gelation, and Topical formulationAbstract
Objective: This study was to create and describe gallic acid-loaded microcomposite gels using a chitosan-alginate matrix system. The goal was to improve wound healing by improving drug delivery and controlled release.
Methods: We prepared microcomposite gels containing gallic acid using the ionic gelation method with varying drug amounts [0.5–2.0% w/w]. We formulated four different gallic acid microcomposite gels [GA-MCG-1 to GA-MCG-4] with 2% w/v chitosan, 1.5% w/v sodium alginate, and 2% w/v calcium chloride as the cross-linking agent. Comprehensive characterization was conducted using UV-Visible spectroscopy, FTIR analysis, particle size analysis, zeta potential measurements, rheological studies, and in vitro drug release studies with Franz diffusion cells.
Results: All formulations successfully encapsulated gallic acid, with particle sizes ranging from 198.4 to 287.3 nm and zeta potentials above+25 mV, indicating stable colloids. The optimized formulation, gallic acid microcomposite gel [GA-MCG-3 [1.5% gallic acid]], performed better than the others. It had a particle size of 245.6±12.4 nm, a zeta potential of+28.7±2.1 mV, and an encapsulation efficiency of 89.4±3.2%. FTIR analysis showed that hydrogen bonding helped encapsulate the substance without any chemical issues. All formulations had a skin-safe pH [6.2–6.5] and exhibited pseudoplastic rheology, making them easy to spread. In vitro drug release studies displayed biphasic patterns, with gallic acid microcomposite gel [GA-MCG-3] showing the best sustained release [78.2% over 24 h] following Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetics, indicating non-Fickian drug diffusion.
Conclusion: The newly developed microcomposite gel system with gallic acid demonstrates significant potential for enhancing wound healing. The optimized formulation, gallic acid microcomposite gel [GA-MCG-3], exhibits excellent physical and chemical properties, controlled drug release, and a stable profile, making it a suitable choice for topical wound healing therapy. Further in vivo and clinical studies are necessary to confirm its effectiveness.
Downloads
References
1. Gurtner GC, Werner S, Barrandon Y, Longaker MT. Wound repair and regeneration. Nature. 2008;453(7193):314-21. doi: 10.1038/nature07039.
2. Sen CK, Gordillo GM, Roy S, Kirsner R, Lambert L, Hunt TK. Human skin wounds: a major and snowballing threat to public health and the economy. Wound Repair Regen. 2009;17(6):763-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-475X.2009.00543.x, PMID 19903300.
3. Mssillou I, Bakour M, Slighoua M, Laaroussi H, Saghrouchni H, Ez Zahra Amrati F, Lyoussi B, Derwich E. Investigation on wound healing effect of Mediterranean medicinal plants and some related phenolic compounds: a review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 Nov 15;298:115663. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115663.
4. Yang DJ, Moh SH, Son DH, You S, Kinyua AW, Ko CM. Gallic acid promotes wound healing in normal and hyperglycemic conditions. Molecules. 2016 Jul 8;21(7):899. doi: 10.3390/molecules21070899.
5. Da Rosa CG, Borges CD, Zambiazi RC, Nunes MR, Benvenutti EV, Da Luz SR. Microencapsulation of gallic acid in chitosan β-cyclodextrin and xanthan. Ind Crops Prod. 2013 Apr 1;46:138-46. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2012.12.053.
6. Chanwitheesuk A, Teerawutgulrag A, Kilburn JD, Rakariyatham N. Antimicrobial gallic acid from Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk. Food Chem. 2007 Jan 1;100(3):1044-8. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.11.008.
7. Daglia M. Polyphenols as antimicrobial agents. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2012 Apr 1;23(2):174-81. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.08.007, PMID 21925860.
8. Abasalizadeh F, Moghaddam SV, Alizadeh E, Akbari E, Kashani E, Fazljou SM. Alginate-based hydrogels as drug delivery vehicles in cancer treatment and their applications in wound dressing and 3D bioprinting. J Biol Eng. 2020;14:8. doi: 10.1186/s13036-020-0227-7, PMID 32190110.
9. Jayakumar R, Prabaharan M, Sudheesh Kumar PT, Nair SV, Tamura H. Biomaterials based on chitin and chitosan in wound dressing applications. Biotechnol Adv. 2011 May 1;29(3):322-37. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.01.005, PMID 21262336.
10. Omer AM, Ahmed MS, El-Subruiti GM, Khalifa RE, Eltaweil AS. pH-sensitive alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan/aminated chitosan microcapsules for efficient encapsulation and delivery of diclofenac sodium. Pharmaceutics. 2021 Mar 5;13(3):1-18. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13030338, PMID 33807967.
11. Bashir S, Omar FS, Hina M, Numan A, Iqbal J, Ramesh S. Synthesis and characterization of hybrid poly (N, N-dimethylacrylamide) composite hydrogel electrolytes and their performance in supercapacitor. Electrochim Acta. 2020 Feb 1;332:135438. doi: 10.1016/j.electacta.2019.135438.
12. Rizwan M, Yahya R, Hassan A, Yar M, Azzahari AD, Selvanathan V. PH sensitive hydrogels in drug delivery: brief history, properties swelling and release mechanism, material selection and applications. Polymers. 2017;9(4):137. doi: 10.3390/polym9040137, PMID 30970818.
13. Mohanty AK, Vivekanandhan S, Pin JM, Misra M. Composites from renewable and sustainable resources: challenges and innovations. Science. 2018;362(6414):536-42. doi: 10.1126/science.aat9072, PMID 30385569.
14. Rawat B, Garg AP. Characterization of phytochemicals isolated from Cucurbita pepo seeds using UV–vis and FTIR spectroscopy. Plant Arch. 2021 Apr 30;21(1):892-9. doi: 10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2021.v21.no1.122.
15. Singh A, Dutta PK, Kumar H, Kureel AK, Rai AK. Improved antibacterial and antioxidant activities of gallic acid grafted chitin-glucan complex. J Polym Res. 2019 Sep 27;26(9):234. doi: 10.1007/s10965-019-1893-3.
16. Bewlay BP, Jackson MR, Lipsitt HA. The Nb-Ti-Si ternary phase diagram: evaluation of liquid solid phase equilibria in Nb-and Ti-rich alloys. J Phase Equilib. 1997 Jun;18(3):264-78. doi: 10.1007/BF02647850.
17. Sunil Dhoot A, Naha A, Juhi Priya, Neha Xalxo. Phase diagrams for three-component mixtures in pharmaceuticals and its applications. J Young Pharm. 2018 Apr 10;10(2):132-7. doi: 10.5530/jyp.2018.10.31.
18. Da Rosa CG, Borges CD, Zambiazi RC, Nunes MR, Benvenutti EV, Luz SR. Microencapsulation of gallic acid in chitosan β-cyclodextrin and xanthan. Ind Crops Prod. 2013 Apr;46:138-46. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2012.12.053.
19. Nguyen VC, Le MQ, Bernadet S, Hebrard Y, Mogniotte JF, Capsal JF. Design rules of bidirectional smart sensor coating for condition monitoring of bearings. Polymers (Basel). 2023 Feb 1;15(4):826. doi: 10.3390/polym15040826, PMID 36850110.
20. Naeem A, Yu C, Zhu W, Chen X, Wu X, Chen L. Gallic acid-loaded sodium alginate-based (polyvinyl alcohol-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel membranes for cutaneous wound healing: synthesis and characterization. Molecules. 2022 Dec 1;27(23):8397. doi: 10.3390/molecules27238397, PMID 36500491.
21. Prahladbhai Patel A, K Patel J. Mucoadhesive in-situ gel formulation for vaginal delivery of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Indian J Pharm Educ Res. 2020 Oct 1;54(4):963-70. doi: 10.5530/ijper.54.4.190.
22. Wang C, Wang F, Liu J, Yi W, Zhao Q, Liu Y. Transdermal drug-delivery motion-sensing hydrogels for movement recovery caused by external injury. Chem Eng J. 2024 May 15;488:150998. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.150998.
23. Sallustio V, Chiocchio I, Mandrone M, Cirrincione M, Protti M, Farruggia G. Extraction encapsulation into lipid vesicular systems and biological activity of Rosa canina L. bioactive compounds for dermocosmetic use. Molecules. 2022 May 1;27(9):3025. doi: 10.3390/molecules27093025, PMID 35566374.
24. Badhani B, Sharma N, Kakkar R. Review: gallic acid: a versatile antioxidant with promising therapeutic and industrial applications. RSC Adv. 2015;5(35):27540–57. doi: 10.1039/C5RA01911G.
25. Venkatesan J, Bhatnagar I, Manivasagan P, Kang KH, Kim SK. Alginate composites for bone tissue engineering: a review. Int J Biol Macromol. 2015 Jan 1;72:269-81. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.07.008, PMID 25020082.
26. Patil P, Killedar S. Chitosan and glyceryl monooleate nanostructures containing gallic acid isolated from amla fruit: targeted delivery system. Heliyon. 2021 Mar 1;7(3):e06526. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06526, PMID 33851042.
27. Danaei M, Dehghankhold M, Ataei S, Hasanzadeh Davarani F, Javanmard R, Dokhani A. Impact of particle size and polydispersity index on the clinical applications of lipidic nanocarrier systems. Pharmaceutics. 2018;10(2):57. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics10020057, PMID 29783687.
28. Mourya VK, Inamdar NN. Chitosan-modifications and applications: opportunities galore. React Funct Polym. 2008;68(6):1013-51. doi: 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2008.03.002.
29. Monteiro e Silva S, Calixto G, Cajado J, De Carvalho P, Rodero C, Chorilli M. Gallic acid-loaded gel formulation combats skin oxidative stress: development, characterization and ex vivo biological assays. Polymers. 2017 Aug 24;9(9):391. doi: 10.3390/polym9090391.
30. Khan MU, Razaq SI, Mehboob H, Rehman S, Al-Arjan WS, Amin R. Antibacterial and hemocompatible pH-responsive hydrogel for skin wound healing application: in vitro drug release. Polymers (Basel). 2021 Nov 1;13(21):3703. doi: 10.3390/polym13213703, PMID 34771258.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Anugrah Samanvay Tandi; Garima Sahu; Swarnali Das Paul, Rajesh Choudhary, Jaya Shree, neha mandle
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.