In vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity of an active plant-based quadrocomplex for skin hygiene

Abstract

Context: The current epidemiological situation causes a new surge of interest to perspective antimicrobial formulations for proper skin hygiene. Aims: To evaluate in vitro and in vivo the antimicrobial activity of a novel active quadrocomplex (QC) for skin hygiene based on Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil, eucalyptol, (-)-α-bisabolol and silver citrate. In addition, to analyze the phytochemical constituents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and to assess the skin irritant potential after regular washing. Methods: The phytochemical analysis was performed using GC-MS. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) were assessed using a colony-counting method with resazurin. The type of pharmacological interaction was investigated using a modern checkerboard assay. Results: The chemical composition exhibited 18 resolved phytochemicals with the highest concentrations for (-)-α-bisabolol (32.2%) and terpinen-4-ol (31.6%) through the GC-MS analysis. QC agents showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, with MIC values ranging from 1.25 to 40.00 mg/mL. The checkerboard assay demonstrated reduced MIC values for the combinations of QC agents against all reference strains. QC showed significant inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth with an average efficiency of 99.91% and Candida albicans 99.94 %. In vivo, the investigation of QC showed higher immediate and prolonged efficiency compared to base formulation (p<0.05). Dermatology evaluation indicated that QC added to the soap base did not affect the skin of hands during regular hand-washing and did not cause any negative effects on the skin. Conclusions: QC exhibits a balanced performance between antimicrobial activity and biological safety and can be considered a promising bioactive composition for regular hand hygiene application. Therefore, additional investigations are needed to study the mechanism of antimicrobial activity.

Tea Tree Oil: Properties and the Therapeutic Approach to Acne—A Review

“…A complex based on natural antimicrobial and anti-irritant compounds, constituted by TTO (0.3%), eucalyptol (0.15%), α-bisabolol (0.10%), and silver citrate (0.01%) in specific ratio 30:15:10:1, respectively was mixed with soap base ingredients and tested for skin hygiene [ 101 ]. The antimicrobial activity was determined against the following microorganisms: Bacillus cereus ATCC 10702, S. epidermidis ATCC 14990, S. aureus ATCC 6538-P or ATCC 29213, E. coli ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Micrococcus luteus 10240a, and C. albicans ATCC 10231.…”

“…The antimicrobial activity was determined against the following microorganisms: Bacillus cereus ATCC 10702, S. epidermidis ATCC 14990, S. aureus ATCC 6538-P or ATCC 29213, E. coli ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Micrococcus luteus 10240a, and C. albicans ATCC 10231. The combination displayed additive or synergistic activities against most strains studied, and a balanced performance between antimicrobial activity and biological safety, without skin irritant potential [ 101 ].…”

The Development of Medical Shampoo with a Plant-Based Substance for the Treatment of Seborrheic Dermatitis

“…The substance of plant origin enriched with M. alternifolia essential oil, 1,8-cineole and (-)-α-bisabolol at a specific chosen ratio of 1:1:1 was previously investigated for the balancing of the skin microflora [11] and incorporated into the shampoo formulation C. The tested shampoo formulation contained M. alternifolia essential oil, 1,8-cineole and (-)-αbisabolol at a concentration of 0.25%, 0.25% and 0.25%, respectively. The results showed that this shampoo formulation inhibited the growth of standard strains of microorganisms compared to the formulations with antifungal substances recommended for the treatment of SD (Table 3).…”

“…Plant-based substances, such as essential oils or plant extracts, have comprehensive compositions, multiple properties, different activities and low irritancy potential [10]. In an investigation by the authors, the synergetic combination of Melaleuca alternifolia (M. alternifolia) leaf oil, 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) and (-)-α-bisabolol in a ratio of 1:1:1 was found to exhibit a documented therapeutic antimicrobial potential against pathogenic microflora related to SD [11].…”

Development and Validation of a Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of the Novel Plant-Based Substance with Antimicrobial Activity

“…The novel substance based on Melaleuca alternifolia (M. alternifolia) leaf oil (TTO), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol), and (−)-α-bisabolol in a specific mass ratio of 1:1:1 was developed and investigated for the treatment of SD [4]. This targeted substance has a synergetic antimicrobial activity against Malassezia species, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus, which are related to the exacerbation of SD [4,16,17]. The antimicrobial potential of this combination was comparable to clinically recommended benzalkonium chloride [18,19], climbazole [20][21][22], and ketoconazole [6,[23][24][25] without damage of the normal scalp microflora [4,17].…”