Decreased blood supply, high blood sugar level, and a possibility of bacterial infection in diabetic wounds pose risk for limb loss and mortality. Therefore, proper wound care is needed to improve the quality of life of diabetic patients. Vitex trifolia L (Legundi) extract is reported to have antibacterial and antioxidant activity that enhances cell proliferation and migration. The antimicrobial and hemostatic properties of chitosan film are viewed as an ideal material for enhancing wound healing. The film should retain its integrity and flexibility while used on the skin, therefore chitosan was combined with PVA and PVP K30 to improve its quality. The objectives of this study were to optimize the concentration of chitosan, PVP K30, and PVA towards the Legundi extract film properties, and to evaluate its wound healing activity on hyperglycemic mice using an incision wound model. In this study, the film's compositions were optimized using a simplex lattice design, and the effects of its components on their characteristics, such as thickness, weight, folding endurance, swelling rate, and swelling index, were evaluated. BALB/c Mice were divided into three groups (Group I, Group II, Group III) which were treated with normal saline, placebo film, and Legundi film respectively once daily for 8 days. The result suggested that chitosan and PVA were responsible for affecting the film's thickness, weight, and folding endurance, whilst PVP K30 was the dominant factor in increasing the swelling index and rate of the film. The optimum formula of Legundi extract films consists of 1.15 %(b/v) chitosan, 1.25 %(b/v) PVP K30, and 1.6 %(b/v) PVA. The animal treated with Legundi extract film have higher wound closure compared to the control and placebo group four days after wound incision (p<0.05). Thus, Legundi extract film was a potential dressing to treat a diabetic wound.

A long-term oral administration of NSAID and DMARD on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment may cause gastritis, kidney, and cardiovascular disorder. One of the alternative therapies that have been investigated is by using herbal medicine such as Curcuma longa Linn. which contains curcumin and essential oils. Even though both compounds are quite effective in treating RA, poor aqueous solubility and low intestinal absorption limit their oral bioavailability. To overcome these drawbacks, transdermal delivery was chosen as an alternative route of administration. This study was aimed to formulate the Curcuma longa Linn. oleoresin into a transdermal non-aqueous gel system using Carbopol 934 and low substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (4.25:0.75 %) as the gelling agent. In this study, multiple solvents (PEG 400, PG, glycerin, ethanol, and tween 20) were used in the system. The solvents were chosen based on their ability to dissolve the gelling agents. Optimization was done using a simplex lattice design based on the physical characteristics (viscosity, pH, spreadability, and adhesivity) of the prepared gel. The system with the optimum concentration of PEG 400 and PG was then observed for its stability and in vitro transport through snakeskin membrane using Franz diffusion cell with PBS pH 7.4 as acceptor medium. The optimal formula was comprised of 75% PEG and 25% PG which has a viscosity of 6.34+0.19 dPa.s, adhesivity of 6.05+0.11 seconds, pH of 5.16+0.09, spreadability of 6.94+0.06 cm, and quite stable after freeze-thaw cycling test, whilst around 26.85% curcumin was diffused through the membrane (flux = 0.084 mg.cm -2 ) after 2 hours. It can be concluded that the Curcuma longa Linn. oleoresin can be formulated into a non-aqueous gel system, which showed a fair gel physical characteristic with good stability and ability to permeate across the skin membrane, and is promising to be further developed as an alternative for RA treatment.