title: Hydrogel-gauze dressing for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: development and efficacy study on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.
abstract: Topical emollients are known to provide symptomatic relief for atopic dermatitis. In hospitals, wet-wrap therapy has been shown to benefit children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), but the application of wet-wraps is tedious and time-consuming. Topical emollients have low residence time and often dry out easily. The aim of this work was to develop a hydrogel-gauze dressing that is not only easy to apply but also rehydrates and traps moisture to provide longer relief for AD patients. In this study, a prototype hydrogel-gauze dressing was developed with varying ratios of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and propylene glycol. The hydrogel-gauze dressings were assessed based on the moisture vapor transmission rate, moisture absorption, mechanical properties and storage stability over three months. Then, the efficacy of the hydrogel-gauze dressing was compared to topical emollients using transgenic NC/Nga mice with AD-like lesions. The NaCMC hydrogel-gauze dressings significantly lowered transepidermal water loss, and the animals displayed a faster recovery, which indicates that hydrogel-gauze dressings can trap moisture more effectively and accelerate AD healing. Hence, we propose that hydrogel-gauze dressings can potentially become an alternative to wet-wrap therapy due to the ease of application and the higher efficacy compared to topical products.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Centre of Drug Delivery Research, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Shiow-Fern
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Pit-Chin
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Lew
authors.forename: Yong-Boey
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Sin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001458:Bandages; D002266:Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium / Q000737:chemistry*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004355:Drug Stability; D004643:Emollients / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D019946:Propylene Glycol / Q000737:chemistry*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004643:Emollients; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D019946:Propylene Glycol; D002266:Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium
keywords: Atopic dermatitis; NC/Nga mice; NaCMC hydrogel; hydrogel-gauze; sodium carboxymethylcellulose