In-vitro activity of ethanol extract and cream formulation of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark against some pathogens

Abstract

The problems of toxicity, adverse reactions, high cost and resistance associated with synthetic drugs have created widespread interest in plants as alternative sources of antimicrobial agents, hence the need for scientific assessment of the efficacy of such plant materials. This study evaluated the antimicrobial properties of the ethanol extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark and it’s cream formulations. The coarse powder obtained by grinding the dried bark of C. zeylanicum was extracted with 70% ethanol using a Soxhlet extractor. An oil-in-water formulation of the extract as an herbal cream was prepared using the previously described methodology. The antimicrobial activities of the ethanol extract and its cream formulations against some selected bacteria and fungi strains were determined using the agar well diffusion method. The MIC of the extract was determined by the agar dilution method, while the physicochemical properties of the cream were assessed by reference standard protocols. The extract of C. zeylanicum bark and the formulated cream showed comparable concentration-dependent antimicrobial activities to the standard antibiotic (Polymyxin B®), antifungal (Clotrimazole) and combined (triple) action cream (Funbact A®). The MICs were: Staphylococcus aureus (70 mg/ml), Proteus mirabilis (20 mg/ml), Escherichia coli (30 mg/ml), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (110 mg/ml), Klebsiella oxytoca (120 mg/ml) and Entero infections ococcus faecalis (50mg/ml). The physicochemical evaluation of the herbal cream showed that it possesses suitable organoleptic properties of a good cosmetic product. The concentration-dependent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities exhibited by the crude extract and the cream formulation justify the local use of C. zeylanicum plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of  various microbial infections and demonstrate its potential for use in antimicrobial chemotherapy when further developed and formulated in a suitable dosage form.