817 JCHR (2024) 14(4), 817-827 Journal of Chemical Health Risks sanad.iau.ir/journal/jchr ORIGINAL ARTICLE Anti-inflammatory and Wound Healing Properties of Curcuma amada and Oregano Essential Oil Derived Hydrogel on Wistar Albino Rats Ramasamy Mahadevi 1 , Muthugoundar Subramanian Shivakumar 1 , Devarajan Natarajan 1 , Singaravel Sengottuvelu 2 , Kavitha Ramamoorthy *1 1 Department of Biotechnology, Periyar University, Salem 636011, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Department of Pharmacology, Nandha College of Pharmacy, Erode 638052, Tamil Nadu, India Received: 2 July 2024 Accepted: 17August 2024) KEYWORDS Carbopol 934; Essential oil; Herbal hydrogel; Inflammation; Rhizome; Sodium alginate ABSTRACT: The development of herbal gels for the treating wounds and inflammation is increasing attention to researchers for finding alternatives to conventional drugs with minimal side effects. In the present study, the herbal gel was prepared using Curcuma amada rhizome extract, a combination of oregano oil extracted from Origanum vulgare leaves, and either of three polymers namely carbopol 934, sodium alginate, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. Rheological parameters for prepared herbal gel were tested for pH, viscosity, and spreadability. The in-vivo excision wound healing and anti-inflammatory studies were performed on three month-old-male Wistar rats. The results show the best wound healing potential found in herbal formulations containing carbopol 934. This formulation showed good viscosity (65 cPs × 10 3 ), spreadability (25 gm × cm sec -1 ), in-vitro release (100%) and significant (350.97±0.27 mm 2 ) wound contraction compared to a positive control (neomycin sulfate). The results show the highest anti-inflammatory activity in rats group treated with 200 mg kg -1 of methanol extract of C.amada compared to control (indomethacin). The gel was prepared using methanol extract of C.amada, oregano oil, and carbopol 934 which are excellent drug candidates for treating wounds and inflammation. INTRODUCTION Wound healing is a lengthy and intricate process that involves interactions with various physiological systems. Most wounds are classified as acute or chronic in either case, if the wound is not treated it can lead to clinical complications [1]. This is common in developing countries with tropical climates: due to lack of adequate hygiene and health awareness. Inflammation is a secondary phenomenon accompanying the wound and has characteristics such as pain, redness, rubor, and swelling [2]. In addition to being costly, a large number of the pharmaceutical drugs recommended for managing wounds also lead to side effects like drug resistance and allergies. Therefore, drugs derived from plants have been the focus of recent pharmaceutical products for treating various illnesses. Many species of medicinal plants consist of active botanical compounds and elements useful in treating diabetes, hypertension, burns, wounds, and inflammatory diseases. Due to the negative health *Corresponding author: kavitharamamoorthy23@gmail.com (K. Ramamoorthy) DOI: 10.60829/JCHR.2024.25724