Abstract
The use of plants to treat skin ailments has strong support in the current trend of drug discovery. Propionibacterium acnes, an anaerobic pathogen, plays an important role in the occurrence of acne. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities against P. acnes and cytotoxic effects of 48 medicinal plants grown in South Africa. The broth dilution and DPPH radical scavenging methods were used to determine antibacterial and antioxidant activities, respectively. Cytotoxicity was determined on mouse melanocytes (B16-F10). The ethanolic bark extract of Acacia galpinii Burtt Davy. (Leguminosae) exhibited the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration of 62.5 μg/mL. Excellent antioxidant activity was shown by Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R.Dahlgren (Leguminosae), Combretum apiculatum Sond. (Combretaceae), Harpephyllum caffrum Bernh. ex Krauss (Anacardiaceae) and Sclerocarya birrea Hochst. (Anacardiaceae), with 50% radical scavenging activity (EC50) at concentrations ranging from 1.6 μg/mL to 3.5 μg/mL. Greyia sutherlandii Hook. & Harv. (Greyiaceae) also exhibited good antioxidant activity with an EC50 value of 7.9±0.23 μg/mL. A. linearis, G. sutherlandii and S. birrea showed low toxicity with 50% viability of cells (EC50) at concentrations of 125.09±0.71 μg/mL, 107.85±1.53 μg/mL and 92.07±0.09 μg/mL, respectively. The extracts of A. linearis, G. sutherlandii and S. birrea showed good antibacterial and antioxidant activities and low toxicity. Therefore, these plants can be considered as possible anti-acne agents and warrant further investigation.
Highlights
Acne, one of the most common disorders of the skin, is a polymorphic disease with non-inflammatory and inflammatory aspects and a wide spectrum of severity
Most of the plants exhibited antibacterial activity at minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 62.5 μg/mL to 500 μg/mL
Bertol.) Chiov. (Cancellaceae) – exhibited MIC values of 125 μg/mL. Another 28 extracts inhibited the growth of bacteria at MIC values ranging from 250 μg/mL to 500 μg/mL, whereas the remaining 10 extracts did not show any antibacterial activity, even at the highest concentration (500 μg/mL) tested
Summary
One of the most common disorders of the skin, is a polymorphic disease with non-inflammatory (blackhead or whitehead) and inflammatory (papules, pustules, or nodules) aspects and a wide spectrum of severity. There is an obstruction to the flow of sebum outwards, and a comedone develops. Colonisation of the follicles with P. acnes and the host’s inflammatory response play a pivotal role in the development of typical inflammatory papulopustular lesions.[5] In an anaerobic environment, the bacteria secretes nucleases, nuraminidases, hyaluronidases, acid phosphatises, lecithinases and other lipases. As a result of the action of these enzymes, the sebum content changes and reactive oxygen species may be released from the damaged follicular walls. Reactive oxygen species may be the reason for the progression of inflammation in the pathogenesis of disease.[6]
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