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. 2024 Jan 11;10(1):54.
doi: 10.3390/gels10010054.

Studies on Loading Salicylic Acid in Xerogel Films of Crosslinked Hyaluronic Acid

Anastasia Maria Mamaligka  1 , Kalliopi Dodou  1
Affiliations

Studies on Loading Salicylic Acid in Xerogel Films of Crosslinked Hyaluronic Acid

Anastasia Maria Mamaligka et al. Gels. .

Abstract

During the last decades, salicylic acid (SA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) have been studied for a wide range of cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. The current study investigated the drug loading potential of SA in HA-based crosslinked hydrogel films using a post-loading (osmosis) method of the unmedicated xerogels from saturated aqueous solutions of salicylic acid over a range of pH values. The films were characterized with Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry in order to elucidate the drug loading profile and the films' integrity during the loading process. Additional studies on their weight loss (%), gel fraction (%), thickness increase (%) and swelling (%) were performed. Overall, the studies showed significant film disintegration at highly acidic and basic solutions. No drug loading occurred at neutral and basic pH, possibly due to the anionic repulsion between SA and HA, whereas at, pH 2.1, the drug loading was promising and could be detected via UV-Vis analysis of the medicated solutions, with the SA concentration in the xerogel films at 28% w/w.

Keywords: drug loading; hyaluronic acid; hydrogels; salicylic acid; xerogels.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of (a) SA and (b) the disaccharide unit of HA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
UV-Vis spectrum graphs for aqueous saturated solutions of (a) HA at pH 2.1, (b) HA at pH 7.8, (c) HA at pH 11, (d) SA at pH 2.1, (e) SA at pH 7.8, and (f) SA at pH 11.
Figure 3
Figure 3
UV-Vis absorbance of saturated SA solutions pre- and post-loading of films at different pH values (±SD, n = 3–5).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Calibration curve for SA at pH 2.1.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SA concentration in the pre- and post-loading solutions at pH 2.1 (±SD, n = 3).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Comparison between the FT-IR spectra of films loaded in SA solutions and films loaded in water at pH: (a) 2.1, (b) 7.8 and (c) 11.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Comparison between the FT-IR spectra of films loaded in SA solutions and films loaded in water at pH: (a) 2.1, (b) 7.8 and (c) 11.
Figure 7
Figure 7
FT-IR spectra of pure SA powder.
Figure 8
Figure 8
FT-IR spectra of samples loaded in SA solution (pH 2.1) and water (pH 2.1) compared to the spectra of pure SA powder.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Comparison between weight loss A (WLA) and weight loss B (WLB) at each pH for films loaded in SA solutions (SA) or water (Blank) (±SD, n = 3–5).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Comparison between films’ swelling (%) values at each pH for films loaded in SA solutions (SA) or water (Blank) (±SD, n = 3–5).
Figure 11
Figure 11
Comparison between gel fraction A (%) (GFA) and gel fraction B (%) (GFB) values at each pH for films loaded in SA solutions (SA) or water (Blank) (±SD, n = 3–5).
Figure 12
Figure 12
Thickness increase (%) of xerogels post-swelling or loading in solutions with different pH values (±SD, n = 3–5).
Figure 13
Figure 13
Average thickness and swelling increase (%) of xerogels post-swelling or loading in solutions with different pH values.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Average weight loss A and gel fraction A (%) of xerogels post-swelling or loading in solutions with different pH values.
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