FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF MURDANNIA NUDIFLORA ETHANOLIC EXTRACT INFUSED HYDROGEL FOR ORAL INFECTION OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

The present study was aimed at formulating and evaluating a herbal hydrogel containing ethanolic extract of Murdannia nudiflora for potential application against oral bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus. The plant material was collected, authenticated, shade dried, powdered, and extracted using ethanol by maceration. The obtained extract was incorporated into a Carbopol 940-based hydrogel system. Six formulations (F1–F6) were prepared by varying the Carbopol 940 concentration while maintaining the extract and other formulation components constant. The formulations were evaluated for physical appearance, pH, viscosity, spreadability, extrudability, drug content uniformity, stability, and antimicrobial activity. All formulations showed satisfactory physical characteristics and pH values ranging from 6.38 to 7.12. Drug content ranged from 93.8 ± 0.9% to 99.3 ± 0.5%. Increasing Carbopol 940 concentration increased viscosity and decreased spreadability and extrudability. F4 demonstrated the most desirable combination of properties, with pH 6.81 ± 0.04, viscosity 13,600 ± 140 cP, spreadability 15.7 ± 0.3 g·cm/s, drug content 99.3 ± 0.5%, and satisfactory extrudability. Antimicrobial evaluation by agar well diffusion showed a 23.6 ± 0.6 mm zone of inhibition for F4 against S. aureus, whereas blank hydrogel showed no zone of inhibition. Based on the overall physicochemical, stability, and antimicrobial evaluation, F4 was selected as the optimized formulation. Further accelerated stability, toxicity, in vivo, and clinical studies are required before therapeutic or commercial claims can be made.