DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL JUSTIFICATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF A GEL DOSAGE FORM BASED ON SALVIA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT

Abstract

The rapid escalation of antibiotic resistance among pathogenic microorganisms necessitates the search for novel, effective, and safe antimicrobial agents. Herbal preparations containing naturally occurring bioactive compounds are of particular interest. Salvia officinalis L. is renowned for its high content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and essential oils, which possess significant antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The development of gel dosage forms incorporating plant extracts represents a promising frontier in modern pharmaceutical technology. The objective is to develop a gel dosage form based on the ethanolic extract of Salvia officinalis and to experimentally validate its antimicrobial activity against model microorganisms. The extract was obtained by maceration in 70% ethanol. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the twofold serial dilution method. The gel formulation was developed using a 1% carbomer base, incorporating the extract at concentrations of 2%, 5%, and 10%. Data were statistically analyzed using Student's t-test and ANOVA. The S. officinalis extract exhibited a dose-dependent antimicrobial response: inhibition zones for S. aureus ranged from 10.2±0.6 mm to 29.3±1.2 mm, and for E. coli from 8.5±0.5 mm to 25.4±1.1 mm. The MIC was determined to be 6.25 mg/mL for both test strains, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, demonstrating the high antimicrobial efficacy of the extract even at relatively low concentrations. The gel formulation retained approximately 85–90% of the raw extract's potency. The Salvia officinalis extract demonstrated significant dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Incorporation of the extract into a carbomer gel maintained its antimicrobial efficacy, supporting the potential application of Salvia officinalis in the development of topical antimicrobial medicinal products.