Development of anti-acne film from bio-cellulose incorporating Punica granatum peel extract

The aim of this study was to formulate bio-cellulose film incorporating Punica granatum (pomegranate) peel extract for application as anti-acne product. The dried pomegranate peels were extracted by water (PPE water ), 50 % (PPE 50E ), 70 % (PPE 70E ) or 95 % (PPE 95E ) (v/v) ethanol. The extracts were total phenolic content (TPC) and free radical scavenging activity.  PPE 50E had highest TPC (55.95 ± 1.44 g GAE/100 g of dried peel), highest free radical scavenging activity with IC 50 of 18.77 ± 1.73 µg/ml and exerted the activity of bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acne . The PPE 50E was selected for formulating anti-acne bio-cellulose (BC) film. The BC film prepared from bacteria Acetobacter xylinum . It showed a strong film with the tensile strength in range of 5-15 MPa and the elongation at break about 5 %. The simple soaking method was used to combine BC with 5 or 10 mg/ml of PPE 50E . By the SEM, the assemble nano-fibrils and the layer structure of the BC combining with the PPE 50E (BCP) was found. The BCP had higher tensile strength and lower elongation at break than the BC. The BCP at wet state showed a soft and flexible film. The anti-bacterial efficacy of the BCP against tested bacteria was observed, according to the disc diffusion assay. The inhibition zones of the BCP were 2 to 5 times larger than the original diameter of disc and even closed to those of gentamycin and clindamycin. From the remarkable results, the BCP is interestingly natural device for acne treatment.