# Hyaluronic Acid/Chitosan/Glycerophosphate-Based In Situ-Forming Hydrogel for Accelerated Wound Healing

## TL;DR

A new hydrogel made from hyaluronic acid, chitosan, and glycerophosphate is developed to speed up wound healing by providing sustained drug release and antimicrobial properties.

## Contribution

The novel hydrogel system combines thermoresponsive gelling and prolonged drug release for improved wound healing.

## Key findings

- The hydrogel showed sustained drug release following Higuchi diffusion kinetics and enhanced antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli.
- In animal models, the hydrogel reduced wound area from 81.8% to 51.2% over 9 days compared to the control.
- The hydrogel maintained mechanical strength with a G′/G″ ratio of approximately 15.6 and showed interconnected porosity.

## Abstract

This study reports the use of an in situ-forming gel based on hyaluronic–chitosan–glycerophosphate for wound healing. Hydrogels with optimized thermoresponsive gelling, rheological, and prolonged drug release properties were developed and incorporated with ciprofloxacin and carvacrol. In vitro evaluations included rheological studies, swelling degree, degradation rates, morphological analysis, antioxidant effects, antimicrobial activity, and drug release studies. The effectiveness of the optimized hydrogel was assessed using an animal ischemic wound rabbit ear model. The incorporation of ciprofloxacin and carvacrol into the combined hydrogel system maintained the mechanical strength of the formula, with a G′/G″ ≈ ratio of approximately 15.6, interconnected porosity, and controlled swelling. It enhanced antimicrobial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli. In addition, the developed gel exhibited sustained release following the Higuchi diffusion kinetics. The quantitative wound area% indicated that on day 9, the mean wound area decreased from 81.8% for the control to 51.2% for the developed gel. The study findings demonstrate the suitability and potential of this system as multifunctional wound-healing formulations that promote moist healing, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, while providing sustained therapeutic delivery over 24 h.