Chitosan and neem gum-based polyelectrolyte complex for design of allantoin loaded biocomposite film: In-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo characterization

Abstract

Presently, the preference for chitosan (CS) and gum polysaccharides in biomedical applications including drug delivery and wound healing has been extensively documented. Despite this, the demerits of CS and gum polysaccharides such as poor mechanical properties, degradation rate, swelling, etc., limit their applications for designing biocomposite films for drug delivery. Therefore, the anticipated work aims to design a CS and neem gum polysaccharides (NGP) polyelectrolyte complex-based allantoin (AT)-loaded (CS/NGP-AT) biocomposite film for improved wound healing. In brief, CS, NGP, and CS/NGP-AT-based biocomposite films were prepared using the solvent-casting method, and in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo characterizations were performed to assess the performance of these biocomposite films compared to their counterparts. In this, diffractogram and thermogram analysis assured the conversion of crystalline AT into an amorphous form. The optimized CS/NGP/AT-3 formulation exhibited controlled water absorption, appropriate water uptake capacity, good water retention ability, excellent water vapor transmission rate, controlled degradation rate, enhanced mechanical properties, cell and blood biocompatibility, etc. Furthermore, it offered improved antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant potential. The optimized film provided a modified release (88.3 ± 0.3 %) of AT from the film for up to 48 h. Wound healing experiments on rats and their histopathology studies confirmed a significantly higher rate of wound recovery within 14 days compared to the control and CS/NGP film, attributable to the combined effects of CS, NGP, and AT. In conclusion, the fabricated CS/NGP-based biocomposite film presents promising prospects as an excellent candidate for wound healing applications.