Design of Acacia Gum–Carbopol–Cross-Linked-Polyvinylimidazole Hydrogel Wound Dressings for Antibiotic/Anesthetic Drug Delivery

Keeping in view the antimicrobial nature of polyvinylimidazole, the antioxidant property of gum acacia, the mucoadhesive and gel-forming nature of Carbopol, the anesthetic action of lidocaine, and the antimicrobial action of gentamicin, in the present work, an attempt was made to prepare lidocaine and gentamicin loaded gum acacia–Carbopol–polyvinylimidazole based hydrogel wound dressings for better wound healing. These hydrogel dressings were characterized by 13C NMR, FTIR, SEM, cryo-SEM, AFM, XRD, DSC, swelling, and network parameter studies. Some properties of wound dressings were also determined which include the following: hemolysis, hemostatic potential, oxygen permeability, water vapor transmission rate, antioxidant activity, mucoadhesion, protein adsorption, degradation studies, antimicrobial properties (against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria), microbial penetration, mechanical properties (tensile strength, burst strength, resilience, relaxation, folding endurance and gel strength) drug release, and histological studies. The synergic effects of the mucoadhesive, antimicrobial, and antioxidant nature of hydrogel dressings make them suitable candidate as wound dressing material.