Abstract:
Bacterial skin infections are common among hospitalised patients, for which topical antibiotics
are used. Antibiotic resistance, toxicity and high cost have led to the need for the development
of herbal formulations that are comparatively safer and less expensive. Using herbal gel
for topical application ensures faster release of active ingredients at the site of action. This
study aims to formulate a topical antibacterial polyherbal gel containing leaf extracts of Atalantia
ceylanica, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Azadirachta indica, and gel extract of Aloe vera and
evaluate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A
polyherbal gel with carbopol 940 gel base containing Aloe vera gel with 1% methanolic leaf
extracts of A. ceylanica, O. tenuiflorum and A. indica in the ratio of 1:1:3 was formulated and
evaluated for antibacterial activity using agar well diffusion method against Gram-positive (S.
aureus) and Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa) bacteria using gentamicin (20 μg/mL) as the positive
control. Physical parameters (organoleptic characteristics, pH, spreadability, viscosity) of
the prepared gel formulations were evaluated at both room temperature (RT) and 4 oC for 21
days. A green colour gel with an initial pH of 6.94±0.01, spreadability of 38.09±0.02 g.cm/s
and a viscosity of 51.7% was formulated. pH and spreadability of the gel kept in both RT and
refrigerator (4 oC) remained constant throughout the study period. The gel formulation (100
mg/ml) exhibited a zone of inhibition against S. aureus (24.77±1.71 mm), but not against P.
aeruginosa. Therefore, this gel formulation can be further evaluated for its antibacterial potential
to formulate a promising topical antibacterial gel for S. aureus skin infections.
