PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTI-CUTIBACTERIUM ACNES ACTIVITY OF THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF A TRADITIONAL ANTI-ABSCESS FORMULATION FROM THE KHUN SOPHIT BANNALAK MEDICAL TEXT

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the preliminary phytochemical constituents and the anti Cutibacterium acnesactivity of ethanolic extracts from traditional Thai anti-abscess formulations described in theKhun Sophit Bannalak Medical Text. Preliminary phytochemical screening was conducted for five groups of compounds, include tannins, saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides,in 95% ethanolic extracts of four formulations (TAF-01- TAF-04). The antibacterial activity againstC. acneswas evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of all extracts.The results revealed that all four formulations contained the five phytochemical groups tested. Among them, TAF-01 exhibited the strongest anti-C. acnesactivity, with an MIC of 0.5 mg/mL and an MBC of 1 mg/mL. However, its activity was lower than that of the standard drug vancomycin, which showed MIC and MBC values of 0.25 µg/mL. These findings demonstrate the presence of phytochemical constituents and the antibacterial potential of traditional anti-abscess formulations against acne-causing bacteria. This study provides supporting evidence for the integration of Thai traditional medicine knowledge and its further development into anti-acne products in the future.