The Calendula officinalis used in polymeric hydrogel burn dressings to improve the wound healing process

The development of ideal wound dressing is crucial to facilitate the healing process and for the treatment of a wound for protection against physical, thermal, chemical, biological, and other trauma. Hydrogels are being preferred as wound dressings owing to their flexibility, non-antigenicity, and permeability to water, oxygen, and metabolites. On the other hand, Medicinal plants such as Calendula officinalis (C. officinalis) are commonly used for skin wounds’ treatment. The C. officinalis or pot marigold is an aromatic plant with orange or yellow flowers that can be used for wound healing applications namely burns, cuts, rashes, bruise, and foot ulcer treatments. This herb has some pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic, free radicals inhibitors, and blood coagulation activity. In this study, for the first time, semi-IPN hydrogels were prepared from Guar gum (GG) as a natural polymer and poly acrylic acid (PAA) as a synthetic polymer. Then C. officinalis was loaded into the synthesized hydrogels. The hydrogels were characterized using SEM, FTIR, and then evaluated for their mechanical property (tensile strength), swelling behavior, and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), gel fraction, and antibacterial analysis. The study showed C. officinalis loaded hydrogels are the potential drug release wound dressing materials.

Keywords:

Calendula flower extract , marigold , dressings , wound healing , polyacrylic acid