Antimicrobial Activity of Pomegranate and Green Tea Extract on Propionibacterium Acnes, Propionibacterium Granulosum, Staphylococcus Aureus and Staphylococcus Epidermidis.

ABSTRACT

We used pomegranate extract (POMx), pomegranate juice (POM juice) and green tea extract (GT) to establish in vitro activities against bacteria implicated in the pathogenesis of acne. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 94 Propionibacterium acnes, Propionibacterium granulosum, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains were determined by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute-approved agar dilution technique. Total phenolics content of the phytochemicals was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the polyphenol composition by HPLC. Bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. GT MIC of 400 µg/ml or less was obtained for 98% of the strains tested. 64% of P. acnes strains had POMx MICs at 50 µg/ml whereas 36% had MIC >400 µg/ml. POMx, POM juice, and GT showed inhibitory activity against all the P. granulosum strains at ≤100 µg/ml. POMx and GT inhibited all the S. aureus strains at 400 µg/ml or below, and POM juice had an MIC of 200 µg/ml against 17 S. aureus strains. POMx inhibited S. epidermidis strains at 25 µg/ml, whereas POM juice MICs were ≥200 µg/ml. The antibacterial properties of POMx and GT on the most common bacteria associated with the development and progression of acne suggest that these extracts may offer a better preventative/therapeutic regimen with fewer side effects than those currently available.