| dc.description.abstract | Formulation of hand sanitizers with herbs extract to enhance safety and quality while maintaining effective
antibacterial properties. This study aimed to formulate hand sanitizers with different concentrations of ethyl
acetate extracts of Mentha arvensis leaves and assess their physiochemical properties and antibacterial activities.
The plant material was collected in Jaffna and allowed to shade dry. The dried plant material was macerated with
ethyl acetate for 48 hrs at room temperature. Two different formulations (A and B) were prepared with 5% and
10% plant extract. Organoleptic characteristics, pH, homogeneity, turbidity, and antibacterial activity were
evaluated. The antimicrobial activity of formulations was estimated using the agar well diffusion method against
Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli by employing a formulation excluding
plant extract as control and WHO standard hand sanitizer used as a positive control. Results indicated that
Formulation B, containing 10% extract, demonstrated satisfactory physiochemical properties and antibacterial
activity against the tested bacteria. Formulation A showed a maximum inhibition of 10.60 ± 0.58 mm against E.
coli at 800 µg/ml, with no activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa at lower concentrations. In contrast,
Formulation B demonstrated greater efficacy, achieving inhibition zones of 14.17 ± 1.04 mm for E. coli, 10.17 ±
1.04 mm for S. aureus, and 3.83 ± 0.76 mm for P. aeruginosa at 800 µg/ml. These results indicate that
Formulation B shows significant potential as an effective hand sanitizer. Further stability evaluation of
formulation B will ensure the evaluation of the clinical usage. | en_US |
