Determination of antifungal and antimicrobial properties of cream enriched with oils of different medicinal aromatic herbs

Abstract

The need for therapeutic aromatic herbs is expanding as a result of the emergence of worldwide antibiotic resistance. The literature on the advantages of using infusions or essential oils from these plants is growing. For decades, thyme, sage, and lavender have been popular sources of essential oils and are commonly employed in modern medicine. The goal was to create a cream formulation to facilitate the application of these oils, with the hope that it would be favored in terms of dosage and sensory acceptability. In this case, Lavender, Sage, and Thyme oils were incorporated into cream formulations in advance. Antimicrobial and antifungal actions of essential oils at 5% and 10% ratios were tested for this purpose, and then they were added to the cream formulation, and the same study was repeated. This study also considered stability and consumer acceptance. The findings revealed that lavender essential oil had no impact at any dosage, while sage and thyme essential oils exhibited a selective effect. Lavender and sage showed little heterogeneity in terms of stability in cream formulations; however, thyme oil was deemed unacceptable not only in terms of texture but also in sensory aspects. Clearly, the search for new medications continues, and antimicrobial resistance caused by each new formulation is a global issue. Although resistance to essential oils has not yet been recorded, research is being conducted with the hope that they might offer a solution to global resistance-related illnesses. In this context, the findings of this study, encompassing not only a cream formulation but also data on the use of essential oils with a guiding methodology in the literature, are amenable to clinical investigation.

Keywords

• Medicinal plants
• Essential oils
• Cream
• Antifungal
• Stabilization

Farklı tıbbi aromatik bitkilere ait yağlar ile zenginleştirilmiş kremlerin antifungal ve antimikrobiyal özelliklerinin belirlenmesi

Öz

Küresel antibiyotik direncinin tetiklenmesine bağlı olarak tıbbi aromatik bitkilere yönelim artmaktadır. Söz konusu bitkilerin infüzyon veya esansiyel yağlarının kullanımından elde edilen faydalar literatürde giderek artmaktadır. Kekik, adaçayı ve lavanta popüler esansiyel yağ kaynakları olarak yüzyıllardır bilinmekle beraber modern tıpta da yaygın kullanımı mevcuttur. Bu yağların kullanımında kolaylık olması için krem formülü dizayn edilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Böylece dozlama ve duyusal kabul edilebilirlik açısından tercih edilmesi sağlanmak istenmiştir. Bu kapsamda Lavanta, Adaçayı ve Kekik yağları önceden krem formülasyonu haline getirilmek istenmiştir. Bu amaçla % 5, 10 oranlarında esansiyel yağlarda antimikrobiyal ve antifungal etki çalışılmış daha sonra bunlar krem formülasyonuna eklenerek yeniden aynı çalışma yürütülmüştür. Bu çalışmada aynı zamanda stabilizasyon ve tüketici kabul edilebilirliği de göz önüne alınmıştır. Sonuçlara bakıldığında tüm dozlarda lavantanın etkisinin olmadığı buna karşılık adaçayı ve kekik esansiyel yağlarının seçkin etkisi olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Krem formülasyonlarında lavanta ve adaçayı stabilizasyon açısından değişkenlik göstermezken, kekik yağı sadece tekstür açısından değil duyusal olarak da kabul edilebilirlik sınırının dışındaydı. Aşikârdır ki, yeni ilaç arayışları devam etmekte olup elde edilen her yeni formülün tetiklediği antimikrobiyal direnç küresel bir problemdir. Esansiyel yağlara karşı direnç tetiklenmesi henüz rapor edilmemiş olup, küresel dirençli enfeksiyonlara bir çıkış olabileceği düşüncesi ile çalışmalar yaygınlaşmaktadır. Bu kapsamda, sadece bir krem formülasyonu değil aynı zamanda literatürde rehber bir yaklaşım ile esansiyel yağların kullanımına dair veri sunulmuş olan bu çalışmanın çıktıları klinik süreçlerde değerlendirilmeye açıktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tıbbi aromatik bitki
• Esansiyel yağlar
• Krem
• Antifungal
• Stabilizasyon

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