Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Triphala Constituents and Nanoformulation.

Ziad Omran,Zeyad Alehaideb,Majed Halwani,Nicolas Anton,Amalia Porta,Abulrahman Essa,Hani Faidah,Hamdi El-Said,Thierry Vandamme,Ammar Bader,Antonio Vassallo

doi:10.1155/2020/6976973

Abstract

The prevalence of nosocomial infections due to multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Folk medicine and ethnopharmacological data can provide a broad range of plants with promising antimicrobial activity. Triphala, an Ayurvedic formula composed of three different plants: Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. (Combretaceae), and Phyllanthus emblica L. (Phyllanthaceae), is used widely for various microbial infections. Various extraction techniques were applied in the extraction of the biologically active constituents of Triphala in order to compare their efficiency. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was shown to be the most efficient method based on yield, extraction time, and selectivity. The Triphala hydroalcoholic extract (TAE) has been chemically characterized with spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Triphala hydroalcoholic extract was evaluated alone or with carvacrol. Different drug formulations including cream and nanoemulsion hydrogel were prepared to assess the antimicrobial activity against selected microorganism strains including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. We used a lipophilic oil of carvacrol (5 mg/mL) and a hydrophilic TAE (5 mg/mL) ingredient in a dosage form. Two solutions were created: hydrogel containing nanoemulsion as a lipophilic vector dispersed in the gel as a hydrophilic vehicle and a cream formulation, an oil-in-water emulsion. In both cases, the concentration was 250 mg of active ingredient in 50 mL of final formulation. The formulas developed were stable from a physical and chemical perspective. In the nanoemulsion hydrogel, the oil droplet size ranged from 124 to 129 nm, with low polydispersity index (PdI) 0.132 ± 0.013 and negative zeta potential −46.4 ± 4.3 mV. For the cream, the consistency factor (cetyl alcohol and white wax) induced immobilization of the matrix structure and the stability. Triphala hydroalcoholic extract in drug nanoformulation illustrated might be an adjuvant antimicrobial agent for treating various microbial infections.

Highlights

Microbial resistance, caused by irrational use of antibiotics, is a major issue in the treatment of infectious diseases
By comparing the spectra obtained for the extract by the Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method compared to those obtained by maceration and ultrasound extraction (UE), it was found that the first method had a higher content in molecules
The pharmaceutical industry is using natural drugs globally, due to the availability and fewer side effects and due to the economic impact on third world countries with a low income which are dependent on natural remedies. e Triphala formula is used in India historically as well as currently, and it has recently emerged as a potential candidate for the treatment of various ailments

Summary

Introduction

Microbial resistance, caused by irrational use of antibiotics, is a major issue in the treatment of infectious diseases. A new strategy to manage microbial resistance is the use of natural derivatives in pure form or in combination with antibiotics or chemotherapeutic agents which, in many cases, create a synergistic effect. Kumar et al [2] incorporated a Triphala extract in a collagen sponge to use it as an antimicrobial and wound healing agent, reporting a significant wound closure rate and a significant reduction in the bacterial counts of the infected wounds. Other studies reported the effectiveness of the Triphala extract against a broad spectrum of microorganisms isolated from patients with HIV infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Vibrio cholera, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus [3]. Many studies in the field of microbiology and chemotherapy proposed a combination of classic antibiotics with natural antimicrobial agents to manage microbial resistance. E aim of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of TAE, extract fractions (TRIT 1-8), and some formulations of TAE with natural antimicrobial compound such as carvacrol on different microorganisms

Chemicals and Instruments

Antimicrobial Activities of TAE and TRIT Fractions

2.10. Antimicrobial Activities of TAE Drug Formulations

Results

Conclusions