Antiseptic Potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-Derived Postbiotic-Loaded Polymeric Gels: Comparative Evaluation of Chitosan and Carbopol Matrices

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Soyer P., Öztürk A. A.

POLYMERS, sa.18, ss.1-29, 2026 (SCI-Expanded)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/polym18222802
  • Dergi Adı: POLYMERS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-29
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Anadolu Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The development of multifunctional topical antiseptic formulations incorporating microbial-

derived bioactive compounds represents a promising strategy for improving antimicrobial

and antibiofilm performance. This study aimed to develop and comparatively evaluate

chitosan- and Carbopol® 940-based antiseptic polymeric gels containing a Lactiplantibacillus

plantarum-derived postbiotic. The postbiotic preparation was obtained through fermenta-

tion, cell removal, membrane filtration, and lyophilization and subsequently incorporated

into polymeric gel formulations. The developed systems were characterized in terms of

physicochemical and rheological properties, antimicrobial activity using agar well diffusion

and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays, inhibitory effects on biofilm formation

against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and antioxidant activity using the

DPPH radical scavenging assay. Both formulations exhibited homogeneous appearances

and shear-thinning behavior, supporting their potential suitability for topical application.

The chitosan-based postbiotic formulation generally demonstrated superior antimicrobial

performance, producing inhibition zones of up to 22.4 mm and achieving a two-fold reduc-

tion in MIC values compared with the non-formulated postbiotic. Concentration-dependent

antibiofilm activity was observed, with the chitosan-based formulation achieving maximum

biofilm inhibition of 62.5% against S. aureus and 59.3% against P. aeruginosa. Antioxidant

evaluation further demonstrated enhanced radical scavenging activity following postbiotic

incorporation, with the chitosan-based formulation reaching 72.0% DPPH inhibition and

exhibiting the most favorable IC50 among the postbiotic-containing systems. The findings

highlight the influence of polymeric matrix composition on the biological performance

of postbiotic-containing polymeric gels and identify chitosan as a promising carrier for

multifunctional topical antiseptic formulations. Further standardized antiseptic efficacy

and safety studies are required to establish their practical applicability.