Abstract

FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COPPER NANOPARTICLES GEL OF ZIZIPHUS ROTUNDIFOLIA FOR TREATMENT OF SKIN DISEASE

Satyam Kumar, ShubhamVishwakarma, Rajesh Singh Pawar, Jay Prakash Soni*

Truba Institute of Pharmacy, Karond Bypass Road, Gandhi Nagar, Bhopal 462038, MP, India.

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to develop and evaluate copper nanoparticle-based gel formulations containing ethanolic extract ofZiziphusrotundifolia. The plant extracts were evaluated for extractive yield and phytochemical constituents. The ethanolic extract showed a higher yield of 8.46% and contained alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, phenols, tannins, flavonoids, proteins, and diterpenes. The total flavonoid and phenolic contents were 0.80 and 0.96 mg/100 mg ofdried extract, respectively. Six copper nanoparticle formulations (F1–F6) were prepared using different CuSO₄ concentrations and extract-to-CuSO₄ ratios. The percentage yield ranged from 64.82 ± 0.31% to84.67 ± 0.16%, while flavonoid-associated content ranged from 0.612 ± 0.028 to 0.812 ± 0.016mg QE/100 mg. Formulation F5 was selected as the optimized formulation, showing the highest yield and flavonoid content. F5 exhibited an average particle size of 230.32 nm and zeta potential of −40.25 mV. The optimized nanoparticles were incorporated into gel formulations GF1–GF3. The formulations showed satisfactory physical characteristics, spreadability, viscosity, pH, and homogeneity. The in vitro drug-release study showed progressive release, with GF3 exhibiting the highest cumulative release of 99.18% at 4 h. GF3 showed a better fit to the zero-order release model (R² = 0.9160). Antimicrobial evaluation demonstrated concentration-dependent activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with maximum inhibition zones of 17.36 ± 0.24 mm and 19.28 ± 0.22 mm, respectively, at 100 mg/mL. Overall, the developed copper nanoparticle gel demonstrated promising physicochemical, release, and antimicrobial properties for further topical evaluation.

Keywords: Ziziphusrotundifolia; Copper nanoparticles; CuSO?; Ethanolic extract; Topical gel; Flavonoids; Drug release; Zero-order kinetics; Antimicrobial activity.