Evaluation of In vitro Antiacne Activity of Pupalia lappacea (L.) Juss.

Acne vulgaris is caused by Propionibacterium acnes, subsequently aggravated by Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Pupalia lappacea (L.) Juss. It is a common weed found in Asia and tropical Africa. The current investigation is aimed to explore its antiacne property targeting the aforementioned gram-positive strains. Disc diffusion method was adopted to screen the antibacterial property of the ethanol extract at various concentrations (12.5, 25, 50& 100mg/ml) compared with Ciprofloxacin using Mueller Hinton Agar medium. The diameter of the clear zone of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were calculated. From the results, it is apparent that the zone of inhibition was high for P. acnes (19mm), followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (17mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (12mm), and was more sensitive to Pupalia lappacea (L.) Juss. ethanol extract at 100mg/ml concentration. Similarly, from the MIC values, it is found that the plant extract completely halted the growth of Propionibacterium acnes more efficiently at 0.32mg/ml, Staphylococcus aureus at 0.25mg/ml, and 0.28mg/ml for Staphylococcus epidermidis. Either alone or in combination, the phytochemicals may be responsible for the observed scavenging property.