Author Pereira, R. F., Carvalho, A., Gil, M. H., Mendes, A., & Bartolo, P. J.,
Hydrogel films composed of alginate and Aloe vera gel were developed for wound healing applications, Films with different formulations can be prepared for the different phases of the wound healing process, Aloe vera gel significantly improves the water absorption and the in vitro degradation properties of alginate hydrogel films, the properties of the hydrogel films can be tailored by changing the Aloe vera content, this study investigates the influence of Aloe vera on water absorption and the in vitro degradation rate of Aloe vera-Ca-alginate hydrogel films, for wound healing and drug delivery applications, the influence of Aloe Vera Gel content (5%, 15% and 25%, v/v) on water absorption was evaluated by the incubation of the films into a 0.1 M HCl solution (pH 1.0), acetate buffer (pH 5.5) and simulated body fluid solution (pH 7.4) during 24 h. Results show that the water absorption is significantly higher for films containing high Aloe Vera Gel contents (15% and 25%), while no significant differences are observed between the alginate neat film and the film with 5% of Aloe Vera Gel, in vitro enzymatic degradation tests indicate that an increase in the Aloe Vera Gel content significantly enhances the degradation rate of the films. Control films, incubated in a simulated body fluid solution without enzymes, are resistant to the hydrolytic degradation, exhibiting reduced weight loss and maintaining its structural integrity. Results also show that the water absorption and the in vitro degradation rate of the films can be tailored by changing the Aloe Vera Gel content.
