EFFECTIVENESS OF PHENYLPROPANOID DERIVATIVES AS PRESERVATIVE IN ALUMINIUM HYDROXIDE GEL-USP

A growing concern of microbial resistance and potential risks associated with existing synthetic preservatives have put industries and researchers under immense pressure to develop newer and safer alternatives based on moieties obtained from natural sources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preservative effect of the selected derivatives of naturally occurring phenylpropanoids. Aluminum Hydroxide Gel-USP was employed as a pharmaceutical formulation which has been challenged with Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 737, Escherichia coli MTCC 443, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 1688, Aspergillus niger MTCC 282 and Candida albicans MTCC 227 as per USP 2004. The selected ester and anilide derivatives demonstrated good antimicrobial potential against all the challenged microorganisms. The preservative efficacy results were comparable to that of standard preservatives, methyl, and propyl-parabens. The benzoin caffeate (CE48) derivative was found to be superior preservative amongst the other derivatives and as well as from both the standards mainly against S. aureus, A. niger and C. albicans. Thus, natural moiety based antimicrobial derivatives has the potential to be chosen as a preservative in pharmaceutical formulations over the existing synthetic preservatives.