Antimicrobial activity of some Essential oils and Extracts from Natural sources on Skin and Soft tissue infection causing microbes: An In-vitro Study

Abstract

Introduction: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) constitute the diverse group of infections with varied clinical presentation and severity. SSTI’s are the most common infections treated in hospital today posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Natural herbs have been widely used as a potential source of therapeutic substances all over the world. A study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial effect of some natural extracts on important SSTI causing pathogens. Materials and methods: In this study the antimicrobial potential of essential oil of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Eugenia caryophyllata, oil of Cymbopogon citratus, Melaleuca alternifolia, Mentha piperita, Ocimum sanctum and extracts of Curcuma longa, Azadirachta indica and Cassia fistula were analysed against common skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) causing microorganisms. The organisms include methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Cutibacterium acnes, E.coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacteroides fragilis. The antimicrobial assay was performed by agar punch well method with different concentrations of essential oil and extracts. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed in order to identify the active constituents present in the extracts. Further a formulation was made, with the powdered extract (neem, turmeric, bark of golden shower) and cinnamon oil as the chief component to look for any probable synergetic activity. Results and discussion: In this study all the essential oils showed good antimicrobial activity than the crude extracts. Significant activity against the Gram negative organisms was exhibited by all the products used in the study. Cinnamon and Clove oil had an excellent activity against all the organism whereas tea tree, mint and Tulsi oil showed better results against the Gram positive organisms including acne vulgaris causing organisms. HPLC results emphasised the presence of eugenol and cinnamaldehyde in clove and cinnamon oil respectively. A significant zone of inhibition was observed from the formulation prepared. Hence we indicate that the natural products used in this study have therapeutic properties and therefore could be considered as an alternative medication in treatment of SSTIs.

Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Ethanolic Extract of Fermented Black Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Seed Dregs

“…18 Furthermore, due to their hydrophobic character, the majority of essential oils and plant extracts are able to hinder the constant diffusion of these compounds through the inoculated medium. 19 Typically, the disc diffusion test is utilised as an initial screening process to ascertain that the plant extracts' active components can pass through; this is done before making a further assessment. Hence, it cannot be accurately measuring the antibacterial activity of the extracts.…”

“…This has resulted in the strong demand of new antibiotics by consumers against pathogens and an interest has been developed by the scientific community for using herbal medicines with antimicrobial properties. 19 Figure 1 shows P. aeruginosa ATCC9027 was completely killed at 4× MIC (25 mg/ mL) in less than two hours after being exposed to ethanolic extract of fermented black sesame seed dregs. The sensitivity of P. aeruginosa to the high concentration of fermented black sesame seed dregs extract may be the reason why the killing impact rose dramatically at 25 mg/mL as early as 2 hours.…”