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Gels
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Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery
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Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 5196

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Fawzia Sha’at

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute of Chemical-Pharmaceutical Research and Development-ICCF, 112 Vitan Avenue, 3rd District, 031299 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanoformulations; drug delivery systems; drug release; polymeric nanoparticles; liposomes
Dr. Ramona Daniela Păvăloiu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute for Chemical-Pharmaceutical Research & Development—ICCF Bucharest, Vitan Av. nr. 112, 3rd District, 031299 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: hybrid nanosystems; lipid nanovesicles; polymeric nanosystems; mechanisms of drug release; smart drug carriers
Prof. Dr. Denisa Udeanu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Laboratory and Food Safety, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: geriatry; age management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Gels titled “Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug Delivery”. This Special Issue welcomes both research and review manuscripts focused on the development and application of gel-based formulations for anti-infective therapies and drug delivery.

The treatment of infectious diseases has seen significant progress through innovative drug delivery systems, with gels playing a pivotal role in enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Hydrogels, nanogels, and hybrid gel-based nanosystems provide advantages such as high water content, biocompatibility, prolonged drug release, and the ability to protect active pharmaceutical ingredients from degradation. These materials can be engineered for controlled, targeted, and stimuli-responsive drug delivery, improving treatment outcomes while reducing side effects.

Additionally, gel-based nanoformulations have emerged as promising platforms for antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral applications. Their ability to encapsulate therapeutic agents at the nanoscale enhances bioavailability, enables site-specific drug release, and minimizes systemic toxicity. Given their versatility, gels can be designed in multiple physical forms, including nanoparticles, coatings, films, or injectable formulations, making them suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications.

This Special Issue will focus on recent advancements in gel-based drug delivery systems for anti-infective treatments, exploring drug–gel interactions, release mechanisms, and strategies to enhance therapeutic performance. Contributions discussing nano-enabled gel formulations and their role in treating infections at different physiological sites (e.g., skin, mucosa, wounds, biofilms) are particularly encouraged.

Furthermore, we aim to highlight emerging trends in AI-assisted design of gel-based drug delivery systems, where artificial intelligence (AI) can optimize drug loading, predict release kinetics, and accelerate the development of next-generation therapeutic platforms.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current trends and future directions in the use of gels for anti-infective therapy and drug delivery, bridging the gap between laboratory research and clinical applications.

We look forward to your valuable contributions!

Dr. Fawzia Sha’at
Dr. Ramona Daniela Păvăloiu
Prof. Dr. Denisa Udeanu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gel-based drug delivery
  • hydrogels and nanogels
  • anti-infective therapy
  • hybrid nanosystems
  • stimuli-responsive gels
  • controlled drug release
  • nanoformulations
  • biocompatible gels
  • polymeric drug delivery systems
  • AI-driven formulation design

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 9500 KB  
Article
Solvent Removal Salicylic Acid-Loaded Myristic Acid-Based In Situ Forming Gel
by Kritamorn Jitrangsri, Napaphol Puyathorn, Sai Myo Thu Rein, Jitnapa Sirirak, Parichat Chomto and Thawatchai Phaechamud
Gels 2026, 12(3), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12030220 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 305
Abstract
This study aimed to develop a solvent removal-based in situ forming gel (ISG) loaded with salicylic acid (SAL) using myristic acid (MYR) as a matrix-forming agent. SAL-loaded MYR-based ISGs were prepared using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvents and evaluated for [...] Read more.
This study aimed to develop a solvent removal-based in situ forming gel (ISG) loaded with salicylic acid (SAL) using myristic acid (MYR) as a matrix-forming agent. SAL-loaded MYR-based ISGs were prepared using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvents and evaluated for physicochemical properties, matrix formation behavior, mechanical characteristics, and in vitro drug release. Increasing MYR content influenced viscosity, gel formation kinetics, and depot integrity, resulting in prolonged SAL release of up to 20 days in DMSO-based formulations. The release kinetics were best described by the Peppas–Sahlin model, indicating diffusion-dominated drug transport. The selected formulation containing 30% w/w SAL and 20% w/w MYR exhibited acceptable injectability, reproducible in situ matrix formation, and sustained drug retention. Antimicrobial testing confirmed that SAL retained biological activity against oral pathogens following incorporation into the ISG system, although solvent contributions to antimicrobial effects were also observed. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of a MYR-based ISG system in which SAL contributes to both therapeutic activity and matrix formation, supporting its potential for localized oral drug delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery)
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15 pages, 5517 KB  
Article
Characterization of Polysaccharide-Based Composites Enriched with Zinc Oxide and Bacitracin for the Treatment of Infected Wounds
by Alicja Macyk, Anna Kusibab, Dorota Ochońska, Monika Brzychczy-Włoch, Katarzyna Reczyńska-Kolman and Elżbieta Pamuła
Gels 2026, 12(3), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12030218 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 283
Abstract
This study aimed to manufacture and characterize highly porous dressings based on gellan gum (GG) and sodium alginate (Alg) hydrogels modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) and bacitracin (BAC) intended for infected and exuding wounds. ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO(n)) were 26 ± 4 nm in [...] Read more.
This study aimed to manufacture and characterize highly porous dressings based on gellan gum (GG) and sodium alginate (Alg) hydrogels modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) and bacitracin (BAC) intended for infected and exuding wounds. ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO(n)) were 26 ± 4 nm in size according to atomic force microscopy (AFM), while the size of the microparticles (ZnO(m)) was 1.02 ± 0.01 µm according to laser diffraction measurements. Their relative surface areas were 39.16 m2/g and 4.56 m2/g, respectively. Microbiological studies showed that ZnO(n) exhibited antibacterial activity in contact with the Gram+ Staphylococcus aureus; thus, they were selected for embedding in a hydrogel matrix. Four types of composite hydrogel samples were manufactured: GG/Alg, GG/Alg+ZnO, GG/Alg+BAC, and GG/Alg+ZnO+BAC, which were subjected to freeze drying. The water absorption of all materials exceeded 4000%, showing excellent liquid absorbability. Burst release of BAC was found at a level of 90% in the first 2 h. In vitro cytotoxicity studies on L929 fibroblasts did not show a toxic effect of extracts from the GG/Alg and GG/Alg+BAC samples, contrary to samples supplemented with ZnO(n). In microbiological studies, the enhanced antibacterial effect of ZnO(n) and BAC was observed in contact with Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. Therefore, GG/Alg+BAC+ZnO is the most promising dressing system for the treatment of infected and exuding wounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery)
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23 pages, 11038 KB  
Article
Phospholipid-Based Ultraflexible Nanovesicular Gel of Sertaconazole Nitrate for the Treatment of Skin Fungal Infections: Statistical Optimization, In Vitro and Preclinical Assessment
by Malleswara Rao Peram, Sachin R. Patil, Vidyadhara Suryadevara, Srinivasa Rao Yarguntla, Smita Kamalakar, Preeti Patil, Kamala Kumari Paravastu, Anand Vishwas Deshmukh, Manohar Kugaji and Sameer Nadaf
Gels 2025, 11(11), 909; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11110909 - 13 Nov 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 841 | Correction
Abstract
Sertaconazole nitrate (SN), a broad-spectrum antifungal agent, is clinically employed against diverse dermatophyte infections. Its therapeutic efficacy, however, is constrained by poor aqueous solubility (0.006 mg/mL) and insufficient skin penetration from current commercial formulations. To address these limitations, this research focused on developing, [...] Read more.
Sertaconazole nitrate (SN), a broad-spectrum antifungal agent, is clinically employed against diverse dermatophyte infections. Its therapeutic efficacy, however, is constrained by poor aqueous solubility (0.006 mg/mL) and insufficient skin penetration from current commercial formulations. To address these limitations, this research focused on developing, optimizing (using a 32 factorial design), and assessing a topical nanovesicular gel incorporating sertaconazole nitrate-loaded ultraflexible liposomes (SN-UFLs) to enhance antifungal performance. The vesicles exhibited near-spherical morphology, with sizes ranging from 104.40 ± 1.20 to 151.90 ± 2.14 nm, zeta potential (ZP) values between −21.50 ± 1.25 and −51.20 ± 2.25 mV, and entrapment efficiency (EE) values from 77.60 ± 2.50% to 86.04 ± 3.20%. The optimized SN-UFL formulation (OPT-SN-UFL) was then integrated into a carbopol gel base. This SN-UFL-Gel was characterized for pH (6.5 ± 0.20), viscosity (499.66 ± 15 cP), spreadability (205 ± 1.50%), extrudability (154.18 ± 2.48 g/cm2), and drug content (96.7 ± 2.50%), as well as ex vivo skin permeation, skin irritation potential, and in vitro and in vivo antifungal efficacy. Compared with the marketed formulation, higher drug permeation and skin deposition were observed for SN-UFL-Gel. The SN-UFL-Gel exhibited a larger zone of inhibition (25 ± 1.50 mm) against Candida albicans compared to the commercially available formulation (20 ± 1.72 mm). The in vivo animal studies showed that SN-UFL-Gel showed better antifungal activity by efficient inhibition of infection induced in rats with Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The SN-UFL-Gel showed no signs of skin irritation and was stable at 4 ± 1, 25 ± 2, and 40 ± 2 °C for 3 months. Conclusively, the current work divulged successful augmentation of the overall effectiveness of sertaconazole nitrate by using deformable liposomes as a promising nanocarrier. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery)
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12 pages, 1887 KB  
Article
Ultrasonic-Responsive Pluronic P105/F127 Nanogels for Overcoming Multidrug Resistance in Cancer
by Shangpeng Liu, Min Sun and Zhen Fan
Gels 2025, 11(11), 878; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11110878 - 1 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 773
Abstract
Effective management of multidrug-resistant cancers depends on effective, localized drug release and accumulation within the tumor microenvironment. In our work, Pluronic P105 and F127 mixed nanogels (PM) were fabricated through self-assembly to combat multidrug-resistant cancer. The approximate diameter of our prepared PM is [...] Read more.
Effective management of multidrug-resistant cancers depends on effective, localized drug release and accumulation within the tumor microenvironment. In our work, Pluronic P105 and F127 mixed nanogels (PM) were fabricated through self-assembly to combat multidrug-resistant cancer. The approximate diameter of our prepared PM is 115.7 nm, an optimal size for tumor accumulation through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. An in vitro drug release assay indicated that ultrasound could accelerate the drug release rate in doxorubicin-loaded Pluronic nanogels (PM/D). Additionally, the resistance reversion index (RRI) in the ultrasound-treated PM/D group was 4.55 and was two times higher than that in the free PM/D group, which represented better MDR reverse performance. Cell experiments demonstrated that, after 3 min of ultrasound, a greater amount of chemo-drug was released and absorbed by the MDR human breast cell line (MCF-7/ADR), resulting in significant cytotoxicity. Such enhanced therapeutic efficiency could be attributed to the combined effects of the two independent mechanisms: (i) ultrasound-controllable drug release realized effective release within resistant tumors with spatial and temporal precision and (ii) the contained Pluronic in the PM/D inhibited P-gp-mediated efflux activity to overcome MDR in tumors. Collectively, our findings support the feasibility of ultrasound-responsive PM as a drug-delivery platform for resistant cancers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery)
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16 pages, 1343 KB  
Article
The Effect of Light on the Germination of Raphanus sativus Seeds and the Use of Sprout Extracts in the Development of a Dermatocosmetic Gel
by Mihaela Carmen Eremia, Ramona Daniela Pavaloiu, Oana Livadariu, Anca Daniela Raiciu, Fawzia Sha’at, Corina Bubueanu and Dana Maria Miu
Gels 2025, 11(7), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070515 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1038
Abstract
This study investigates the influence of different light sources (sunlight, green, red, and white LED) on the germination of Raphanus sativus L. sprouts and the potential use of their sprout extracts in the development of natural dermatocosmetic gels. The bioactive fractions were extracted [...] Read more.
This study investigates the influence of different light sources (sunlight, green, red, and white LED) on the germination of Raphanus sativus L. sprouts and the potential use of their sprout extracts in the development of natural dermatocosmetic gels. The bioactive fractions were extracted using simple methods and analyzed for total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. Statistical analysis of weight, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity of Raphanus sativus L. sprouts was performed using ANOVA. Sprouts exposed to green LED light showed the highest biomass (16.13 ± 0.38 g), while red LED light resulted in the highest total polyphenol content (3.28 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g fresh weight). The highest antioxidant activity (6.60 ± 0.08 mM Trolox/g fresh weight) was obtained under white LED. Although variations were observed, ANOVA analysis revealed that only sprout weight differed significantly among treatments (p < 0.001), while differences in polyphenol content and antioxidant activity were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The extract with the highest antioxidant activity was incorporated as an active ingredient into Carbopol-based hydrogel formulations containing natural gelling agents and gentle preservatives. The resulting gels demonstrated favorable pH (4.85–5.05), texture, and stability. The results indicate that the light spectrum influences the germination process and the initial development of seedlings. Moreover, radish sprout extracts, rich in bioactive compounds, show promise for dermatocosmetic applications due to their antioxidant, soothing, and antimicrobial properties. This study supports the use of natural resources in the development of care products, in line with current trends in green cosmetics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery)
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20 pages, 4810 KB  
Article
Chitosan-Based Hydrogels Containing Nystatin and Propolis as a Novel Tool for Candida auris Skin Decolonization
by Andra-Cristina Bostănaru-Iliescu, Andra-Cristina Enache, Ionuț Iulian Lungu, Corneliu Cojocaru, Robert Capotă, Paula Cucu, Maria Liliana Iliescu, Valeria Harabagiu, Mihai Mareș and Alina Stefanache
Gels 2025, 11(7), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070498 - 26 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1491
Abstract
Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with a high affinity for skin colonization and significant potential for nosocomial transmission. This study aimed to develop and evaluate chitosan-based hydrogels loaded with nystatin and propolis as a topical antifungal strategy for skin decolonization [...] Read more.
Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with a high affinity for skin colonization and significant potential for nosocomial transmission. This study aimed to develop and evaluate chitosan-based hydrogels loaded with nystatin and propolis as a topical antifungal strategy for skin decolonization of C. auris. The formulations were selected based on our previous results and optimized for cutaneous application. The internal structure of the hydrogels was investigated by polarized light microscopy, confirming the amorphous nature of propolis and the partial dispersion of nystatin. The antifungal activity was assessed against ten fluconazole-resistant C. auris strains. The CS-NYS-PRO1 formulation demonstrated the highest antifungal performance in the agar test, also reducing viable cell counts to undetectable levels within 6 h. Time–kill assays and SEM imaging confirmed the rapid fungicidal effect and revealed severe membrane disruption and cytoplasmic leakage. Molecular docking analyses indicated the strong binding of nystatin to both sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from C. auris, suggesting complementary membrane and intracellular mechanisms of action. These findings support the use of such hydrogels as a local, non-invasive, and biocompatible strategy for managing C. auris colonization, with promising implications for clinical use in infection control and the prevention of skin-mediated transmission in healthcare settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Anti-Infective Treatment and Drug-Delivery)
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