ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE LEAVES OF ACALYPHA WILKESIANA MUELL. ARG. (EUPHORBIACEAE) FORMULATED AS HERBAL CREAM

Abstract

The use of some traditional creams in Nigeria is associated with negative outcomes. In order to tackle this problem, we conducted a study on the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory characteristics of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves, which were utilized in the creation of a herbal cream. Standard methods were employed to conduct analytical procedures for the analysis of the phytochemical and chromatographic content of A. wilkesiana leaves. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of the unrefined ethanol extract was assessed using the egg albumin technique, throughout a dosage range of 15.6 to 500 mg/ml. The effectiveness of the herbal cream and the raw ethanol extract of A. wilkesiana in killing specific bacteria were evaluated. A comprehensive evaluation was carried out to determine the physicochemical characteristics of the herbal cream formulation using appropriate methodologies. The phytochemical examination of A. wilkesiana which gave a yield of 12.6 % indicated the existence of alkaloids, tannins, and saponins. The anti-inflammatory properties of the crude extract derived from A. wilkesiana had a comparable effect to that of aspirin, a commonly prescribed medicine at doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg. The herbal cream (25.5 ± 0.22) and crude extract (19.5 ± 0.01) had the greatest antibacterial effectiveness against Candida albicans at 200 mg/ml. The physicochemical examination of the cream that was created: pH (5.6 ± 0.64); consistency (5 mm); viscosity (22 x 106 cps); spreadability (36 g.cm/sec); Extrudability (510 gm) showed similarities to the commercially available Gentamycin cream. The herbal cream containing A. wilkesiana has demonstrated substantial promise and could function as a practical alternative to traditional creams for treating skin infections.