Innovative Eco-Friendly Hydrogel Film for Berberine Delivery in Skin Applications

Abstract

Hydrogel formulations (masks or patches, without tissue support) represent the new frontier for customizable skin beauty and health. The employment of these materials is becoming popular in wound dressing, to speed up the healing process while protecting the affected area, as well as to provide a moisturizing reservoir, control the inflammatory process and the onset of bacterial development. Most of these hydrogels are acrylic-based at present, not biodegradable and potentially toxic, due to acrylic monomers residues. In this work, we selected a new class of cellulose-derived and biodegradable hydrogel films to incorporate and convey an active compound for dermatological issues. Films were obtained from a combination of different polysaccharides and clays, and berberine hydrochloride, a polyphenolic molecule showing anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, was chosen and then embedded in the hydrogel films. These innovative hydrogel-based systems were characterized in terms of water uptake profile, in vitro cytocompatibility and skin permeation kinetics by Franz diffusion cell. Berberine permeation fitted well to Korsmeyer–Peppas kinetic model and achieved a release higher than 100 µg/cm2 within 24 h. The latter study, exploiting a reliable skin model membrane, together with the biological assessment, gained insights into the most promising formulation for future investigations.

Eco-Sustainable Silk Fibroin/Pomegranate Peel Extract Film as an Innovative Green Material for Skin Repair

“…Figure 5 shows that in buffer solution at pH 7.4, the percentage of released EPP increased progressively up to 8 h until a plateau that did not result in 60% of the total release in 48 h. A similar trend occurred in samples placed at pH 5.5, the only difference being the total amount of released EPP did not exceed 30%. These results are in line with previous studies concerning the development of polymeric films for delivery of antioxidant compounds to the skin [ 43 , 44 ] and demonstrate that the SF-EPP films we prepared are able to release suitable amounts of EPP for acceptable antioxidant activity. The in vitro release data were analyzed with various semi-empirical release kinetics (Korsmeyer–Peppas and Peppas–Sahlin) [ 45 , 46 ].…”

Composition and Bioactivity of a Modified Huang-Lian-Jie-Du Decoction

“…For wound dressing, hydrogel formulations are currently gaining popularity; they facilitate healing, function as a moisturizing reservoir, and regulate inflammation and infection development. Recently, berberine was loaded into a new class of cellulose-derived biodegradable hydrogel films [ 29 ] and a gelatin/sodium alginate hydrogel [ 30 ]. The results indicated that berberine-loaded hydrogels can be used for wound dressing materials in the future.…”

Combined Dopamine and Grape Seed Extract-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles: Nasal Mucosa Permeation, and Uptake by Olfactory Ensheathing Cells and Neuronal SH-SY5Y Cells

“…By the use of a vertical Franz cell (PermeGear Inc., SES GmbH, Bechenheim, Germany [ 27 , 28 ]), ex vivo permeation studies were carried out through excised nasal porcine mucosa. The ethics committee of the University of Bari (Italy) approved the study protocol.…”