ESSENTIAL OILS FROM Melaleuca leucadendra AND Pogostemon cablin Benth AS ACTIVE IN HAND SANITIZER WITH ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

In addition to giving a pleasant scent, essential oils in hand sanitizer formulation could contribute to the increase on its efficacy. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, antibacterial, as well as antiviral activities of eucalyptus oil (EO) and patchouli oil (PO), followed by their application in hand sanitizer formulation. Essential oils were obtained from a simple distillation and followed by fractionation using a rotary evaporator. Antioxidant activities of the essential oils were determined based on a DPPH scavenging assay. The antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus as well as Escherichia coli were evaluated under the Kirby-Bauer method. The antiviral activities of EO and PO were based on the replication inhibition of Simian retrovirus-2 (SRV-2) in an A549 cells model. Our data suggest that the fractionation increases the purity of EO and PO based on the content of 1,8-cineole (from 54.08% to 85.05%) and patchouli alcohol (from 29.28% to 85.01%), respectively. IC50 values of fractionated EO and PO in DPPH scavenging activity were 131.21 and 118.20 ppm, categorized as moderately active antioxidants. The optimum inhibition zones against S. aureus along with E. coli were achieved by fractionated EO (10.49 and 15.79 mm, respectively). SRV-2 replication could be effectively attenuated even until day-7 post-infection. When applied in hand sanitizer formulation (in a small amount), only antibacterial activity against E. coli was found higher as compared with usual hand sanitizer. Moreover, in hand sanitizer formulation, the efficacy of antiviral activity against SRV-2 was reduced to only last for 5 days post-infection. EO and PO can be used as active ingredients in hand sanitizer formulation owing to their antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant activities.