Optimization and in-vitro evaluation of chitosan based gel containing extracts of Hibiscus rosa sinensis flowers and Murraya koneigii leaves for improved Antidandruff potential

In present study chitosan based antidandruff gel containing extracts of Hibiscus rosa sinensis flowers and Murraya koenigii leaves was formulated for improved antidandruff potential. The extracts were prepared by maceration and rotary evaporation techniques and screened for phytochemical analysis. Prepared extracts were incorporated into gel formulation using natural polysaccharide chitosan as gelling agent and citric acid as a crosslinker. The gel was optimized by 3² full factorial design with dependent variables X₁- Chitosan concentration (%) and X₂- Citric acid concentration (%) and their effects were evaluated on dependent variables Y₁- Viscosity (cP), Y₂- pH, and Y₃- spreadability (g.cm/s). The optimized gel formulation was evaluated for in-vitro antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and Streptococcus aureus. Also the prepared gel formulation was subjected for short term stability study. The optimized gel showed viscosity 22000±50cP, pH 5.8±0.05, and spreadability 16.88±1.14g.cm/sec. A desirability factor for antidandruff hair gel formulation was 0.953, suggesting that the selected factorial design was suitable for the experiment. The results of in-vitro antimicrobial activity confirm that the prepared gel shows potential antifungal and antibacterial effect. An intention to choose chitosan as gelling agent was, with its additive properties it synergize the antimicrobial potential. The prepared gel was found to be stable at accelerated temperature i.e. 40±2°C and relative humidity i.e. 75±5% conditions after six months stability study. Thus prepared chitosan based herbal gel could be a possible alternative for the effective management of dandruff.