Honey-based Silver Sulfadiazine Microsponge-Loaded Hydrogel: In vitro and In vivo Evaluation for Burn Wound Healing

Objective: Silver sulfadiazine has often been used as a topical antibacterial agent for burn wounds. Aim of this study is to develop silver sulfadiazine-loaded microsponge along with honeyimpelled hydrogel for improved burn wound healing activity. Methods: Microsponge were prepared by quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method. Formulation variables such as concentration of emulsifier and Internal phase volume were optimized by using 3² factorial design. Further, SSD microsponge-based Hydrogel was prepared using carbopol 934 and honey as natural healing agents. In vitro drug release, ex vivo drug deposition, skin irritancy study, and in vivo antibacterial activity were evaluated for optimized hydrogel formulations. The MTT assay was used to determine the safety of the optimized hydrogel using epidermal keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell lines. Results: At the 12th hour, in vitro drug release was found to be 85.11±0.89. An adjusted microspongeloaded hydrogel increased medication retention ability in the epidermal layers when compared to the commercial product. There was also less application time, no skin irritation, low cytotoxicity on dermal cell lines, and better wound contraction. Conclusion: The prepared microsponge-loaded hydrogel can serve as a potential alternative for burn wound as compared to the marketed product.