Yashada bhasma (Zinc calx) and Tankana (Borax) inhibit Propionibacterium acne and suppresses acne induced inflammation in vitro.

OBJECTIVE

Yashada bhasma (YB) and Tankana (TA) are well characterized minerals used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various skin ailments. Yashada bhasma and TA are a unique preparation of zinc and borax, respectively. The study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro inhibitory effect of YB, TA and its combination (YBTA) on Propionibacterium acne growth and P. acne-induced inflammation.

METHODS

The minerals were tested for anti-P. acne activity by disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The effect of these minerals on P. acne induced TNF-α and IL-8 production and gene expression were studied in THP-1 cells. In vitro toxicity was tested on human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (NIH3T3) using MTT assay.

RESULTS

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC values) for YB, TA and YBTA against P. acne were 0.1 ± 0.2, 1.9 ± 0.5 and 0.3 ± 0.5 mg mL(-1) , respectively. YB, TA and YBTA inhibited TNFα by 57.57%, 59.09% and 68.93% and IL-8 production by 48.76%, 47.92% and 51.13% in P. acne-stimulated THP-1 cells, respectively. The CTC50 values on HaCaT and NIH3T3 was 17.44 ± 0.5 and 16.37 ± 0.2 μg mL(-1) for YB, 1023.03 ± 4.0 and 1286.17 ± 4.4 μg mL(-1) for TA and 89.12 ± 2.3 and 111.58 ± 3.5 μg mL(-1) for YBTA, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The present study revealed the inhibitory effect of YB, TA and YBTA on P. acne growth and inflammation. Clinical studies have suggested the anti-acne benefits of formulations containing YB and TA. The findings obtained from the present in vitro studies provide evidence to support the mechanism of anti-acne properties of YB and TA.