Aloe vera gel incorporated chitosan/PVA/gelatin hydrogel film for potential biomedical applications

Abstract

The development of hydrogel film with multifunctional properties is highly desirable in the field of biomedical sciences for various pre-clinical and clinical applications. Aloe vera is renowned for its medicinal properties such as anti-inflammation, wound healing, anti-septic, skin protection, and many more. The medical efficacy of Aloe vera is well documented in ancient Indian scriptures. The study aims to integrate ancient Ayurvedic knowledge with modern therapy by developing a hydrogel film majorly composed of natural components and biodegradable polymer like PVA which is recommended and approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this paper, chitosan, gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were used in the ratio of (2:1:1), respectively, for preparing the hydrogel film, with Aloe vera integrated into the film at concentrations of 25%, 50%, and 75% relative to the total polymer solution. The films are chemically crosslinked using glutaraldehyde at 0.5% and 1% concentration, with glycerol serving as a plasticizer. The final film was fabricated utilising the solvent casting method. The hydrogels were investigated for physico-chemical properties such as swelling, biodegradation, water vapour transmission rate (WVTR), anti-oxidant assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurement, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In-vitro biological assays including hemocompatibility and antibacterial assay as well as cell viability assays (namely MTT and FDA assay) were also performed. Hydrogels with 0.5% cross-linking exhibited superior swelling, biodegradation, WVTR, and antioxidant activity. All the samples exhibited smooth surface morphology, hydrophilicity, hemocompatibility, possessed antibacterial properties, cell viability, and proliferation. A consistent trend was observed among samples with the same concentration of Aloe vera gel. Further in-vivo investigation is required among 0.5% cross-linking samples to select the best film as potential wound dressing material.