Abstract

Plant based therapeutics have been extensively used for wound healing due to their faster healing rate and lesser side effects. The combinatorial approach of traditional concept with modern hydrogel-based drug delivery system can able to heal the wound in an accelerated manner. The present study aimed to formulate and evaluate the wound healing potential of hydrogel containing standardized ethanolic extract of Lawsonia inermis Linn. Ethanolic extract of leaves was prepared, standardized with respect to lawsone by validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method. The hydrogel formulations were prepared using Carbopol 934 in different concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 % w/w), assessed for cosmetic persona, pH, viscosity, spreadability, occlusion, syneresis, drug content, drug-excipient compatibility, skin irritation and for its wound healing activity. The hydrogel formulations (F1, F2 and F3) were found to be clear, homogeneous, compatible, nonirritant in nature, with pH (6.73±0.047 to 6.8±0.082), spreadability (6.81±0.09 to 8.13±0.08 cm), viscosities (39840±500.07 to 87538±389.87 cp), occlusion factor values (57.43±1.24 to 73.82±2.48 %), percent syneresis (2.696±0.368 to 5.5±0.226), and percent drug content (94.271±0.292 to 96.587±0.402) were found to be optimal for topical application. Hydrogel (F2) exhibited a significant healing response in the excision wound rat model. Wound healing was significantly improved among the test groups on the 4^th, 8^th and 12^th d (p<0.001) in comparison to standard lawsone hydrogel and control group. The result showed that the studied hydrogel has the potential for wound dressing.