Aloe vera Loaded (Polyvinyl Alcohol) Cryogel: Potential Wound Healer

Abstract

The present work describes the preparation methodology of polyvinyl alcohol and Aloe vera hydrogels and their potential role in wound healing. Aloe vera is frequently used in treating many diseases due to its spectacular properties (anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor and antibacterial) which assist in wound healing and help in treating many diseases a range of ailments. The designing of Aloe vera loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend hydrogels (coined as cryogels) was done following repeated freeze-thaw cycles method. Characterization of the cryogels was done using some analytical techniques to study its properties and possible applications. The FTIR spectra shows that Aloe vera loaded PVA cryogels are interconnected by hydrogen bonding. Scanning electron microscope analysis established the porous nature of crogels. These hydrogels show water imbibing capacity, which depends on the experimental conditions and the chemical composition of the gel. The factors affecting the swelling ratio of crogels are amount of PVA, Aloe vera, number of Freez-Thaw cycles, pH and medium. The pore size of the cryogels also decreases with increasing number of freeze-thaw cycles. The Aloe vera-PVA cryogel is healing compatible with blood as there is less than 2% hemolysis.