Abstract

TOPICAL HERBAL GEL OF SYZYGIUM SAMARANGENSE FRUIT EXTRACT: FORMULATION, EVALUATION, AND ANTI-ACNE ACTIVITY

Mr. Mathesvaran T.^*, Mr. Senthil Kumar S. K., Ms. Pavithra J., Ms. Ponni B., Ms. Poojashree G., Mr. Prasanth S., Ms. Preethi S.

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit associated with follicular hyperkeratinization, excessive sebum production, microbial colonization and inflammation. Increasing interest in herbal topical preparations has encouraged the investigation of plant-derived bioactive constituents as potential alternatives for acne management. Syzygium samarangense is a medicinally relevant plant belonging to the family Myrtaceae and contains various phytoconstituents with reported biological activities. Objective: The present study was aimed at formulating and evaluating an herbal anti-acne gel containing ethanolic fruit extract of Syzygium samarangense. Methods: The shade-dried fruit powder was extracted with ethanol by the maceration method. The obtained extract was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. Three topical gel formulations, F1, F2 and F3, containing 10%, 15% and 20% w/w fruit extract, respectively, were prepared using Carbopol 940 as the gelling agent. The formulations were evaluated for physical appearance, homogeneity, grittiness, odour, spreadability, pH and washability. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, using amoxicillin as the positive control. Results: From 200 g of dried fruit powder, 50 g of semisolid ethanolic extract was obtained, corresponding to an extraction yield of 25% w/w. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins and glycosides, whereas alkaloids were not detected. All three formulations exhibited smooth appearance, good homogeneity, absence of grittiness and easy washability. The spreadability values of F1, F2 and F3 were 25.0, 25.0 and 21.4 g•cm/s, respectively. The pH values were 6.2, 6.2 and 6.5 for F1, F2 and F3, respectively. No antibacterial activity was observed against E. coli. Against S. aureus, F1, F2 and F3 produced inhibition zones of 5, 11 and 12 mm, respectively, whereas amoxicillin produced a 26 mm inhibition zone. Conclusion: The findings indicate that S. samarangense fruit extract can be incorporated into a Carbopol 940-based topical gel with acceptable physicochemical properties. Among the formulations, F3 containing 20% extract demonstrated the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus. Further studies are required to establish the antimicrobial efficacy, stability and clinical applicability of the formulation.

Keywords: Syzygium samarangense, herbal gel, anti-acne, Carbopol 940, phytochemical screening, antibacterial activity, Staphylococcus aureus.