Formulation and Evaluation of Antibacterial Creams and Gels Containing Metal Ions for Topical Application

Abstract

Background. Skin infections occur commonly and often present therapeutic challenges to practitioners due to the growing concerns regarding multidrug-resistant bacterial, viral, and fungal strains. The antimicrobial properties of zinc sulfate and copper sulfate are well known and have been investigated for many years. However, the synergistic activity between these two metal ions as antimicrobial ingredients has not been evaluated in topical formulations. Objective. The aims of the present study were to (1) formulate topical creams and gels containing zinc and copper alone or in combination and (2) evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of these metal ions in the formulations. Method. Formulation of the gels and creams was followed by evaluating their organoleptic characteristics, physicochemical properties, and in vitro antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Results. Zinc sulfate and copper sulfate had a strong synergistic antibacterial activity in the creams and gels. The minimum effective concentration was found to be 3 w/w% for both active ingredients against the two tested microorganisms. Conclusions. This study evaluated and confirmed the synergistic in vitro antibacterial effect of copper sulfate and zinc sulfate in a cream and two gels.

Co-Delivery of Imiquimod and Curcumin by Nanoemugel for Improved Topical Delivery and Reduced Psoriasis-Like Skin Lesions

“…The spreading factor is an important quality control test for the topical application of semisolid preparations [ 41 ]. The spreading factors of the placebo gel (0.82 ± 0.02 cm 2 /g), IMQ-NEG (0.85 ± 0.04 cm 2 /g), and IMQ-CUR-NEG (0.87 ± 0.02 cm 2 /g) were found to be equivalent and did not differ ( Figure 6 b).…”

“…The spreadability factors of the placebo gel, IMQ-NEG, and IMQ-CUR-NEG are nearly equal and the difference in the value of the spreadability factor between these three gels was found to be statistically insignificant (p > 0.05) (n = 3). The spreading factor is an important quality control test for the topical application of semisolid preparations [41]. The spreading factors of the placebo gel (0.82 ± 0.02 cm 2 /g), IMQ-NEG (0.85 ± 0.04 cm 2 /g), and IMQ-CUR-NEG (0.87 ± 0.02 cm 2 /g) were found to be equivalent and did not differ (Figure 6b).…”

Herbal Creams of Reishi Extract and Tea Tree Oil for Hirsutism–an in Vivo Study

“…The formulation chart table 1. Creams with the active ingredients are shown in [6], spreadability [7] and viscosity [8] For performing the parameters on animals, permission was taken from Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (Ref. no.…”

Formulation and development of a topical combination cream for arthritis management

“…Wax was melted at a temperature of 75 ºC, and was used in the preparation of the oil phase. The aqueous phase containing bioactive components was gradually added to the oil phase, with slight agitation and continuous stirring until the temperature decreased to 40 ºC [11].…”