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Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Potential, and Antimicrobial Activity of Novel Antiseptic Lotion from the Leaves of Betula pendula Roth

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Plants of the genus Betula pendula (Betulaceae) have been used as antiseptics in the treatment of skin diseases. While the bark of this plant has so far been used as a medicinal raw material, our research has revealed that the leaves are an extremely valuable source of health-promoting bioactive compounds, especially polyphenolic compounds. The antioxidant activity of a novel lotion from the Betula pendula leaf and its phenolic content was determined using the DPPH and FRAP assays and the Folin–Ciocalteu method, and a qualitative analysis was conducted using the GC-MS method. The antiseptic preparation was also subjected to HPLC analysis for an assessment of the phenolic acids content (gallic, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic, chlorogenic, and 3-hydroxybenzoic acids). The shake flask method was used to determine the partition coefficient of the lotion to assess its lipophilicity. A new ethanol-reduced antiseptic lotion containing antimicrobial ingredients was evaluated using standard killing methods (EN 13697:2019 and EN 13697:2015) at 60 ± 10 s and 300 ± 10 s against six microorganisms. The aim of these tests was to determine whether the formulation exhibited performance like a traditional ethanol. In addition, hand disinfection tests were also carried out using the preparation obtained from B. pendula leaves in accordance with EN 1500:2013, using Escherichia coli strain K12 NCTC 10538. According to the results, high polyphenol contents (52 ± 2 mg GAE/g dry raw material) and other antioxidant and biologically active substances identified by GC-MS (phytol, alpha-tocospiro B, sitosterol, or dilauryl thiodipropionate) can be thought of as the parameters responsible for the effective activity of the preparation derived from birch leaves. Gallic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid had the greatest concentrations among the phenolic acids examined. The mean 60 s kill time was >99.9 for the new antiseptic against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (at a concentration of 30 g/100 mL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 (at a concentration of 40 g/100 mL), while ethanol showed the same reduction for these microorganisms at a concentration of 80 g/100 mL.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app15073658

Authors: Łukasz Kucharski, Edyta Kucharska, Anna Muzykiewicz-Szymańska, Anna Nowak, Robert Pełech

Institutions: Pomeranian Medical University, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin

Language: English

Topic: Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity

Subfield: Food Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896