Development and evaluation of topical ointment formulation containing gallic acid as an active pharmaceutical ingredient against bacterial infection and oxidative damage

Bacterial infections and oxidative damage are becoming more concerning health problems to be addressed by health professionals due to the multidrug resistance of pharmaceuticals. Despite, topical preference, oral administration compliance, and bioavailability berries, still remains the opacity to developed an alternative topical formulation with better compatibility. The study is aimed to prepare different topical ointment formulations containing gallic acid as an active pharmaceutical ingredient, followed by optimization of the best formulation. In vitro drug release profile was determined followed by antibacterial evaluation against E. coli and S. aureus viability. DPPH assay, in silico pharmacokinetic and network pharmacology analysis were performed to determine antioxidant potential, bioavailable response and multi-mechanistic therapeutic role of formulation/gallic acid in alleviation of bacterial infection even oxidative damage. The outcomes of the study showed that the formulation F5 was found as an optimized formulation which showed 5.76 +/- 0.0207 pH, 1487.35 +/- 4.868 Pas viscosity, 139.42 +/- 1.665 g. cm/s spreadability index. In antibacterial activity, the average zone of inhibition was found 5.324 +/- 0.458 mm and 5.324 +/- 0.458 mm against the growth of E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. The developed formulation exhibited significant (p<0.001) antioxidant activity. In silico, pharmacokinetic showed good bioavailable response of gallic acid while network pharmacology analysis showed multi-mechanistic action of gallic acid in alleviation of inflammation and oxidative stress induced by the biological stimulus. Hence, it can be concluded that the developed optimized formulation can be used for the bacterial infection as well as oxidative damages induced by the biological stimulus.