A Gellan Gum/Sodium Alginate-based gastric-protective hydrogel loaded with a combined herbal extract consisting of Panax notoginseng, Bletilla striata and Dendrobium officinale

Zhenning Di; Bingqian Zhou; Luyao Zhou; Yawei Di; Lingchong Wang; Liuqing Di

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126277

A Gellan Gum/Sodium Alginate-based gastric-protective hydrogel loaded with a combined herbal extract consisting of Panax notoginseng, Bletilla striata and Dendrobium officinale

Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Oct 1:250:126277. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126277. Epub 2023 Aug 10.

Authors

Zhenning Di¹, Bingqian Zhou¹, Luyao Zhou¹, Yawei Di², Lingchong Wang³, Liuqing Di⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for Efficient Delivery System of TCM, Nanjing 210023, China.
² East Region Military Command General Hospital, China.
³ School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for Efficient Delivery System of TCM, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: 993wlc@njucm.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for Efficient Delivery System of TCM, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: diliuqing@njucm.edu.cn.

PMID: 37572808
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126277

Abstract

One Chinese herbal combination consisting of Panax notoginseng, Bletilla striata and Dendrobium officinale (PBD) is an effective Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescription and is widely used in clinics to treat gastric ulcers due to their safety and effectiveness compared with chemical agents, such as aspirin and omeprazole. Herein, an in situ forming gel (ISFG) based on Gellan Gum (GG) and Sodium Alginate (SA) was designed to deliver extracts of PBD prescription (EPBDP). The central composite design optimized prescription dosage was 0.1 % w/v of GG and 0.5 % w/v of SA. Gels prepared with this formulation demonstrated outstanding fluidity and instantaneous gel formation. In vitro release data showed that sustained drug release occurred in the gel, and the gel was pH-sensitive. The rheological tests confirmed the formation of stable gel, which exhibited strong viscosity and elasticity. In vitro adhesion assays revealed that the gel had strong gastric mucosal adhesion, while in vivo residual rate experiments of active ingredients revealed that the gel might greatly improve the gastric retention of active ingredients. Animal studies demonstrated that the gel was effective in treating gastric ulcers. Hence, the results of the study show that EPBDP-ISFG, a highly pH-sensitive sustained-release system, is effective.

Keywords: Gastric mucosa; Gellan Gum; In situ gel; Sodium Alginate; Sustained drug release; pH-sensitive.