A water-based topical Chinese traditional medicine (Zicao) for wound healing developed using 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

Zicao is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been used for the topical treatment of wounds in the form of oil-based ointment for several hundred years. To overcome the disadvantages of oil-based ointment such as irritation, discomfort, and difficulty in cleaning, this study developed a water-based topical formulation of Zicao. An ethanol extract of Zicao was included in 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) to form a water-soluble Zicao-HP-beta-CD complex. The formation of the Zicao-HP-beta-CD complex was determined using LC-MS, H-1 NMR, ROSEY, and solubility analysis. The bioactivity of Zicao-HP-beta-CD complex in aqueous solution was evaluated using cellular uptake in vitro and experimental excision wounds in vivo. The LC-MS, H-1 NMR, ROESY, and solubility analyses results show that Zicao extract was successfully included by the HP-beta-CD. The results of the cellular uptake in vitro and wound healing in vivo suggest that the effect of Zicao was enhanced following the formation of the Zicao-HP-beta-CD complex. Therefore, we concluded that complexation with HP-beta-CD might provide a potential method for developing an effective water-based topical solution of Zicao. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.