Evaluation of Biocompatibility and Release Profile of Ginger Extract Loaded Hyaluronic Acid Nanocapsules for Medical Applications

Introduction: Ginger is a plant that is used as a drug for pain relieving and anti-inflammatory in traditional medicine, but conventional prescribing of it faces serious challenges. One way to overcome these problems is the loading of ginger extract in polymer carriers. The aim of this study was characterization and evaluation of the loading and releasing of ginger extract from hyaluronic acid nanocapsules for medical applications. Methods: In this applied study, ginger extract as a pain-relieving drug was loaded in hyaluronic acid nanocapsules. The hyaluronic acid nanocapsules containing ginger extract were fabricated by emulsion method. The surface morphology, particle size and zeta potential, surface roughness and functional groups on the sample surface were evaluated by field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The stability and ginger release from nanocapsules were also determined via DLS and HPLC, respectively. The toxicity and fibroblast cells viability of ginger extract encapsulated in hyaluronic acid were evaluated by MTT assay. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 Software. The t-Student test was performed for statistical comparison of data and statistically significant was P < 0.05. Results: The ginger entrapment efficiency (EE %) in nanocapsules was 74%.  The average particle diameter and charge surface of the samples were calculated 413 nm and -10 mV, respectively. The negative charge of samples showed the stability of samples without agglomeration. Therefore, the surface morphology of the samples was observed as relatively spherical particles. In vitro test showed 95% fibroblast cell growth and proliferation on nanocapsules compared to the control sample (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The hyaluronic acid nanocapsules have a great potential for delivery of ginger extract in the area of pain and inflammation.