LAUSR

Many antiseptic drugs, local anaesthetics, and corticosteroids have been used for effective therapy of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). However, these drugs have harmful side effects. α-mangostin (α-M), a main compound of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) peel, has been known as a wound healing agent. In addition, hydrogel film as dressings designed to separate mucosal lesions from the oral environment, and improve the effectiveness of RAS therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop α-M hydrogel film based chitosan–alginate (ChAlg/α-M HF) for RAS. The in silico study by Discovery studio visualizer and AutoDock confirmed that hydrogen bonding between Ch, Alg, and α-M occurred. The results of physicochemical characterizations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the ChAlg/α-M HF had a lower crystalline form compared to pure α-M. In addition, ChAlg/α-M HF significantly improved the swelling ratio and tensile strength compared to that of ChAlg HF. Moreover, the existence of Alg increased the degradability of Ch, and closely related to the release of α-M from ChAlg HF. The in vitro release study confirmed that the release of α-M from ChAlg/α-M HF was the Fickian diffusion model. Finally, the mucoadhesive study revealed that ChAlg/α-M HF had a good mucoadhesive property. These results suggest that hydrogel film-based chitosan–alginate have the potential as carriers of α-M for RAS therapy.