Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity of AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream.

Background: Acne vulgaris is almost a widespread disease occurring in all races. Propionibacterium acnes initiate acne and inflammatory mediators aggravate it. Conventional therapies for acne include comedolytic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-biotic agents. Due to adverse effects of these therapies, people are searching for alternative options. In this context, a polyherbal formulation AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream was developed for the treatment of Acne.

Objective: The objective of this study is to study anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream.

Materials and Methods: Skin irritation study was conducted on AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream as per OECD guidelines. (1) Anti-inflammatory activity: Anti-inflammatory activity of AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream in comparison with diclofenac sodium cream was assessed in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. (2) Antimicrobial activity for P . acnes : P . acnes were incubated under anaerobic conditions. Aliquots of molten brain-heart infusion with glucose agar were used as the agar base. Formulation and clindamycin (10 mg/ml) were introduced in to the Agar wells randomly. (3) Antimicrobial activity for Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus : bacteria were incubated under aerobic conditions at 37°C. Tryptic soy broth with glucose agar was used as the agar base. A volume of 0.5 ml of formulation and clindamycin (10 mg/ml) were introduced in to the wells randomly. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by measuring zones of inhibition (in mm).

Results: AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream is nonirritant. Significant reduction in rat paw edema (43%) was observed with AHPL/AYTOP/0213 which was also comparable to diclofenac sodium cream (56.09%). Zone of inhibition for formulation was 20.68 mm, 28.20 mm, and 21.40 mm for P . acnes , S . epidermidis and S . aureus , respectively, which was comparable to clindamycin. The minimum inhibitory concentration of formulation AHPL/AYTOP/0213 obtained in anti-microbial study was 2.5 mg/mL.

Conclusion: AHPL/AYTOP/0213 cream is nonirritant and possesses significant anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities, which further justifies its role in the management of acne vulgaris.