## 1 Introduction
Another study found that the use of quercetin fatty acid esters increased cell-cell adhesion forces and had a higher apoptosis effect compared to the unconjugated form [37]. Many reports indicate an important supportive function for quercetin in the mechanism of wound healing [38; 39]. This natural flavonoid has a broad spectrum of antibacterial properties but also has significant inhibitory effects on fungi, viruses, and parasites [40; 41; 42; 43]. Quercetin destroys the bacterial cell wall or changes its permeability. In addition, it can prevent bacterial adhesion and weaken biofilm formation [40; 44]. Water-soluble polymers of semisynthetic--methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)--and natural origin--sodium alginate (SA)--are used as gelling agents to prepare dermatological hydrogel-type formulations. SA is an anionic polysaccharide in which the carboxyl groups present in its structure interact with divalent metal cations such as Ca\({}^{2+}\) to form a stable gel network [45]. It is a biomaterial with numerous applications in the pharmacology, cosmetics and biomedical fields. This polymer is used in many studies to obtain composite scaffolds that may have future applications in tissue engineering [46; 47]. [PERSON] et al. developed a scaffold of polycaprolactone and SA loaded with melatonin for tendon repair [48]. The authors observed that slow-release melatonin inhibited ROS production and macrophage infiltration and activated the Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling pathway. A high antioxidant capacity, higher in comparison to the base matrix (on average by 30 %), was determined for hydrogels based on cellulose, collagen, and SA with quercetin, anthocyanins, and lipoic acid [49]. The growing interest in this natural flavonoid is associated with its antimicrobial activity and biodegradability, as well as its low production costs. In an animal model, it was shown that exosomes, incorporated into an alginate hydrogel, accelerated wound closure, collagen synthesis, and vascularization in the injury area [50]. A hydrogel consisting of SA and platelet-rich plasma also showed high wound closure efficacy [51]. In contrast, another study showed that SA-based hydrogel membranes containing gallic acid were effective in inhibiting biofilm formation [52]. The presence of silver nanoparticlesin a tragacanth-alginate hydrogel enhanced, in a concentration-dependent manner, its antibacterial effects against planktonic and biofilm-forming efficiency [53]. The cellulose ethers, MC and CMC, are also of great interest both scientifically and commercially. Thanks to attributes such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and low production inputs, they are often used in the preparation of hydrogels, patches, and medical devices [54; 55; 56; 57; 58]. The aim of this work was to prepare hydrogels based on semisynthetic (MC, CMC) and natural polymers (SA) that deliver API to the skin with the potential to be used in the treatment of dermatological diseases. Hydrogels containing quercetin at two concentrations (0.4% and 0.7% wt/wt) were prepared, and the effects of the type of polymer and API content on their physicochemical properties, as well as the amount delivered through the skin or retained in the skin reservoir ex vivo, were assessed.