Concentration-dependent antibacterial activity of Ruellia tuberosa L. leaf ethanol extract against Propionibacterium acnes ATCC 6919
Abstract
Rising antibiotic resistance in Propionibacterium acnes necessitates alternative anti-acne agents. Ruellia tuberosa L. (Acanthaceae) possesses documented antibacterial potential, yet its activity against P. acnes remains unevaluated. This study investigated the concentration-dependent antibacterial activity of R. tuberosa leaf ethanol extract against P. acnes ATCC 6919. Leaves were extracted by maceration using 96% ethanol. Phytochemical classes were identified by thin-layer chromatography. Antibacterial activity was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method in triplicate (n = 3) at concentrations of 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% (w/v), with 0.1% clindamycin and distilled water as positive and negative controls, respectively. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey's HSD post-hoc test. TLC confirmed alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids. Inhibition zones increased from 5.00 ± 1.30 mm (15%, weak) to 11.82 ± 0.84 mm (35%, strong), compared to 22.05 ± 0.27 mm for clindamycin. Significant differences were detected among all groups (p < 0.0001). The 30% concentration was the lowest to achieve strong inhibitory activity, with no significant advantage conferred by increasing to 35%. R. tuberosa leaf ethanol extract exhibits concentration-dependent antibacterial activity against P. acnes, with 30% identified as the optimal concentration, warranting further investigation for botanical anti-acne formulation development.
References
Tan JK, Bhate K. A global perspective on the epidemiology of acne. Br J Dermatol. 2015;172(Suppl 1):3-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.13462
Sutaria AH, Masood S, Saleh HM, et al. Acne Vulgaris. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.
Zhu Z, Zhong X, Luo Z, et al. Global, regional, and national burdens of acne vulgaris in adolescents and young adults aged 10-24 years from 1990 to 2021: a trend analysis. Br J Dermatol. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljae352
Platsidaki E, Dessinioti C. Recent advances in understanding Propionibacterium acnes (Cutibacterium acnes) in acne. F1000Research. 2018;7:1953. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.15659.1
Sibero HT, Sirajudin A, Anggraini DI. Prevalensi dan gambaran epidemiologi akne vulgaris di Provinsi Lampung. 2019. https://doi.org/10.23960/jkunila.v3i2.pp308-312
Dessinioti C, Katsambas AD. The role of Propionibacterium acnes in acne pathogenesis: facts and controversies. Clin Dermatol. 2010;28(1):2-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2009.03.012
McDowell A, et al. Propionibacterium acnes and acne vulgaris: new insights from the integration of population genetic, multi-omic, biochemical and host-microbe studies. Microorganisms. 2019;7(5):128. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7050128
Beig M, Shirazi O, Ebrahimi E, et al. Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) isolates, a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2024;39:82-91.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2024.07.005
Yu R, Yuan R, Xin K, et al. Antibiotic resistance rates in Cutibacterium acnes isolated from patients with acne vulgaris: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Microbiol. 2025;16:1565111.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1565111
Dessinioti C, Katsambas A. Antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in acne: epidemiological trends and clinical practice considerations. Yale J Biol Med. 2022;95(4):429-443.
Sharma A, Kumar A, Singh AK, et al. Ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of Ruellia tuberosa L.: a review. Chem Biodivers. 2024;21(8):e202400292. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.202400292
Suandana IKAP, Leliqia NPE. Review: Studi kandungan fitokimia dan aktivitas antibakteri kencana ungu (Ruellia tuberosa L.). Seminar Nasional Farmasi. 2023:209-217. https://doi.org/10.24843/WSNF.2022.v02.p17
Orhan A, et al. Phytochemical profiling, antiviral activities, molecular docking, and dynamic simulations of selected Ruellia species extracts. Sci Rep. 2024;14:15381. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65387-5
Handayani SN, Purwanti A, Windasari, Ardian MN. Uji fitokimia dan aktivitas antibakteri ekstrak etanol daun kencana ungu (Ruellia tuberosa L.). Walisongo J Chem. 2020;3:66-70. https://doi.org/10.21580/wjc.v3i2.6119
Mundriyastutik Y, Auliya QA, Rufaida EE. Antibacterial activity test ethanol extract of kencana ungu leaves (Ruellia tuberosa L.) on Staphylococcus aureus bacteria with disc diffusion method. 2022:1789-1798.
Sharma A, Kumar A, Singh AK, et al. Phytochemical profiling and pharmacological evaluation of leaf extracts of Ruellia tuberosa L.: an in vitro and in silico approach. Chem Biodivers. 2023. doi:10.1002/cbdv.202300495 https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.202300495
Pandey A, Tripathi S. Concept of standardization, extraction and pre-phytochemical screening strategies for herbal drug. J Pharmacogn Phytochem. 2014;2(5):115-119.
Azwanida NN. A review on the extraction methods use in medicinal plants, principle, strength and limitation. Med Aromat Plants. 2015;4(3):1-6.
Khaw KY, Parat MO, Shaw PN, Falconer JR. Solvent supercritical fluid technologies to extract bioactive compounds from natural sources: a review. Molecules. 2017;22(7):1186. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071186
Kinam BOI, Prabowo WC, Supriatno S, Rusli R. Skrining fitokimia dan profil KLT ekstrak dan fraksi dari daun berenuk. Proc Mulawarman Pharm Conf. 2021;14:339-347. https://doi.org/10.25026/mpc.v14i1.600
Natasa E, Ferdinan A, Kurnianto E. Identifikasi senyawa flavonoid ekstrak etanol akar bajakah. J Komunitas Farmasi Nasional. 2021;1:155-162.
Harborne JB. Phytochemical Methods: A Guide to Modern Techniques of Plant Analysis. 3rd ed. London: Chapman & Hall; 1998. pp. 66-74.
Arnida, Bittaqwa EA, Rahmatika D, Sutomo. Identifikasi kandungan senyawa ekstrak etanol rimpang purun danau. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Lingkungan Lahan Basah. 2021:1-6.
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk Susceptibility Tests; Approved Standard-13th Edition. CLSI M02-Ed13. Wayne, PA: CLSI; 2018.
Bauer AW, Kirby WMM, Sherris JC, Turck M. Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method. Am J Clin Pathol. 1966;45(4):493-496. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/45.4_ts.493
Davis WW, Stout TR. Disc plate method of microbiological antibiotic assay. Appl Microbiol. 1971;22(4):659-665. https://doi.org/10.1128/am.22.4.659-665.1971
Wiegand I, Hilpert K, Hancock REW. Agar and broth dilution methods to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antimicrobial substances. Nat Protoc. 2008;3(2):163-175. https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2007.521
Cowan MM. Plant products as antimicrobial agents. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1999;12(4):564-582. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.12.4.564
Cushnie TPT, Lamb AJ. Antimicrobial activity of flavonoids. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2005;26(5):343-356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2005.09.002
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
