ABSTRACT

Hydrogel-based wound dressings hold a unique position in comparison to conventional dressings, owing to their extensive potential as wound and burn healing scaffolds. Moxifloxacin, a synthetic fluoroquinolone, was granted approval by the FDA in 1999 for intravenous administration in the treatment of complex and severe bacterial infections, such as challenging skin and intra-abdominal infections. Lidocaine is a widely recognised local anaesthetic that has been extensively utilised in medical practise for the management of acute wound pain, either as a standalone treatment or in combination with other anaesthetic drugs. A total of eighteen hydrogel formulations were developed by using a mixture of moxifloxacin and lidocaine, utilising different proportions of carbapol 940, poloxamer 407, carboxymethyle sodium, and chitosan polymers. These formulations were assigned unique codes ranging from F1 to F18.  The hydrogel formulations (F1-F9) are composed of carbapol 940 as the base polymer, with polymer ratios ranging from 1-2% W/V. On the other hand, formulations (F10-F12) consist of poloxamer 407 as the base polymer, with polymer ratios of 20, 25, and 30% W/V, respectively. Additionally, formulations (F13-F15) are based on sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, with polymer ratios of 3, 6, and 10% W/V, respectively. Lastly, formulations (F16-F18) are chitosan-based, with polymer ratios of 2, 4, and 6% W/V, respectively. The formulated compounds were examined for their sensory, physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of polymer type and concentration on the in vitro release behaviour. Among the tested polymers, F4 exhibited favourable characteristics in terms of release profile and swelling capacity. Based on these findings, it can be inferred that the incorporation of moxifloxacin and lidocaine base into a hydrogel composed of 1.5% carbopol 940 with 0.5% triethanolamine enables sustained release and adequate swelling, making it suitable for the management of burn or wound conditions. Further investigations, such as histological and in vivo studies, could be conducted in the future to evaluate the selected formulation.