Effect of differences in solvent ethanol extract of dayak onion bulbs and incubation time of Propionibacterium acnes on the antibacterial activity test

Abstract

Background: Acne (acne vulgaris) is still a major health problem. Treatment with antibiotics raises problems in the form of resistance, irritation, and immune hypersensitivity. Alternatives derived from natural ingredients are needed to avoid these problems, namely Dayak onions. Objective: To find out the activity of the ethanol extract of onion bulbs in inhibiting the growth of P. acnes based on the variation of the incubation time duration of the bacteria as well as the solvent. Method: Phytochemical screening tests looked for alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, tannins, and saponins. Testing of the extract’s ability to inhibit bacteria was carried out with variations in the incubation times (24 and 48 hours) and solvents, namely Na-CMC and DMSO. The bacteria growth inhibition test employed the well-diffusion method, and the resulting data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Dayak onion extract contains alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Na-CMC solvent obtained the highest inhibition ability of Dayak onion extract at a concentration of 40% with an inhibition value of 10.12±1.840mm (24 hours), and 11.575±1.694 mm (48 hours) while DMSO solvent showed the highest inhibition at a concentration of 20% with inhibition values of 15.48±1.198 mm (24 hours) and 15.91±1.625 mm (48 hours). Interpretation of the results of the Wilcoxon test based on ranking showed a positive difference at 48 hours of incubation. Conclusion: The optimal incubation time of P. acnes was 48 hours with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the best solvent.