CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Before the discovery and availability of modern synthetic drugs, human

were completely dependent on medicinal herbs for prevention and the treatment

of diseases. Herbal remedies have been used for decades and centuries, the use

of medicinal herbs for curing diseases has been documented. The drugs were

used in crude forms like decoction, infusion, tincture, and poultice. The ancient

people who were below the poverty line and who cannot afford the high cost of

commercial synthetic medicines from the drugstores and opted to the use of local

plants within their reach. These plants can be found around their house yards,

rice fields, gardens, roadsides and rivers. These plants can be obtained readily,

cheaply, and entail easily prepared and application. (Racadio et.al, 2008)

Since time immemorial, people had been using herbal medicines. With the

advent of modern medicine and the development of new drugs, people had

switched to the use of commercial medicines. These medicines had been

manufactured from the flora and fauna that abound. However, the availability and

abundance of some of these sources had declined due to some natural and

anthropogenic factors like deforestation. So, in developing a new medicine, the

abundance of the plant or the animal from where it is extracted should be

considered. (Fuller, 1970)

 In addition to this, there are still a lot of people who rely on alternative

medicine because of the escalating prices of medicine in the Philippines, many

people still resort to herbal medicine. In the ancient and medieval times, almost

all medicines came from plants. Plants were used to ease pain, heal wounds and

cure fever. Today, a lot of people still rely on medicinal plants to meet the

medicinal needs of a population. (Fuller, 1970)

One common plant is the Makahiya, scientifically known as Mimosa

pudica Linn it is locally known as bain bain in Iloko and Makahiya in tagalog.

Third plant is the main subject of this study. Makahiya is very common and

abundant in open waste places throughout the Philippines. It is considered a

weed and the leaf of Makahiya folds inward and droop when touched or shaken.

The stem is erect in young plants, but becomes touched creeping or trailing with

age. The stem is slender, branching, and it sparsely to densely prickly, growing

to a length of 1.5m. The leaves also are bipinnately compound, with one or two

pinnae pairs and 10-26 leaflets per pinna. The petioles are also prickly.

Pedunculated (stalked) pale pink or purple flower heads arise from the leaf axils.

(Dr. Godofredo Umali Stuart)

The makahiya was found out that the extract contains a trace of alkaloids

since slight opaqueness was produced. Flavonoids are also present. The extract

also yielded positive with the triterpenes. The presence of these phytochemicals

in makahiya leaf extract has curative effects and therefore can be used as

alternative medicine.
 It can also be deduced that the plant could be a potential source of many

important drugs because of the presence of flavonoids in the plant extract.

Flavonoids possess antioxidant, radical scavenger, antileukemic and vasodilator

activity. These may be useful for improving blood circulation in brain and in

Alzheimer disease. Flavonoids also show anticancer, antiaging and antibacterial

properties. (Sharma, 2006)

Theoretical framework

The Philippine council for health research and development, the agency

that coordinates and helps fund studiest on alternative medicine among many

others. Executive director Jaime Montoya has a list of eight new on-going

research projects, four involve plants in the old test list (Sambong Ulisimang

beta, Tsaang-gubat and Bayabas, Golden Shower tree, Saluyot, Makahiya and

Guyabano). (Inquirer.net.PhilippineNewsforFilipinos).

This study is related to the one conducted by Pena (1999),

Microbiological and Phytochemical Screening of selected medicinal plants

belonging to families leguminosae Euphorbiaceae and compositae (1997-1999).

This study was carried against the following test organisms: Staphylococcus

aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginos, Candida albicans and Tricophyton

metagrophytes. She showed that out of the twelve plants tested seven (7) were

found to exhibit moderate to strong antimicrobial activity at doses of the alcohl

extract ranging from 100-2,500 g/ml. it was concluded that plant acids, tannins
reducing substance and flavonoids were present in plants, and asa potential

source of antibiotics. (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquirer).

Makahiya plant was analyzed and concluded that the plant contain active

phytochemical components. The plant was also tested against Aspergillus

fumigants, Citrobactria and Klebsiella pneumonia. (N. Gandihiraja et.al, 2009)

Three test organisms, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas

aeruginosa, and Candida albicans were used in this study to determine the

antimicrobial activity of Mimosa pudica Linn. Because of their medical importance

most especially to their infectious characteristics. These were tested for their

reaction in terms of growth and inhibition with the plant extract in most types of

Staphylococcus aureus a Gram- positive, non- moving minute round shaped

coccus that forms cluster. It is now considered as the most common cause of

infections after injury or surgery. (Mandal, 2012)

Candida albicans is oftn present in the skin, mouth, vagina, and intestinal

tract of healthy prsons and animals where it resides without cause diseases.

Bacillus subtilis is an endosphore forming bacteria and the endosphore it

forms allows it to withstand extreme temperature as well a dry environment.

Besides its many uses and application, Bacillus subtilis has become the model

agent in the laboratory research of its very easy generic manipulation.

A skin lotion is a pseudo-stable mixture of oils and water. The oils use to

provide moisturization to skin. This can happen in a variety of ways including

changing the feel, attracting water to the skin, and blocking water from escaping
the skin. When put on the skin, lotion interact with skin proteins and immediately

sooths dry feeling hands. Over time, the occlusive agents in the lotion prevent

water from leaving the skin which helps build moisture in the surface. This

additional moisture ultimately mitigates the problems associated with dry skin.

(Romanowski, 2017)

Efficacy is a term which encompasses several aspects of accountability,

effectiveness, efficiency, and the effects. (Lerma et. al., 1988)

To evaluate the formulated product, organoleptic evaluation and stability

Mimosa pudica Linn. (Makahiya) lotion will be formulated to inhibit the

growth of Staphylococcus aureus which causes infection in the skin. The efficacy

and safety of the formulation will depend on the inhibition of the growth of

Staphylococcus aureus, method of extraction, preparation and additives used.

In the formulation of the Mimosa pudica Linn. (Makahiya) lotion, the

Makahiya leaves will be thoroughly washed with clean running water to remove

the dirt present in the fresh leaves of Makahiya. We will be using a maceration

method as the extraction process. The use of the process for preparations

containing volatile ingredients. The process in which properly comminuted drug is

placed or permitted to soak in a solvent for specific period of time until the

cellular structure is softened and penetrated by the solvent and soluble

constituents are dissolved and extracted out. The extract of Makahiya leaves

obtained will be the active ingredient I the formulation of Makahiya lotion, which
may be responsible in inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Addition of

some additives such as

The Makahiya lotion will be subjected to antimicrobial testing specifically

in-vitro test to determine the zone of growth of inhibition of the formulated lotion

on Mannitol Salt Agar. Mannitol Salt agar is a commonly used selective and

differential growth medium in microbiology. If an organism can ferment mannitol,

an acidic by product is formed that causes the phenol red in the agar to turn

yellow. It is used for pathogenic Staphylococcus species.

The Makahiya lotion that has been formulated will then be evaluated to its

therapeutic effects as an antimicrobial and to its physical properties.

Antimicrobial ingredients are materials that protect against the growth of

microorganisms in personal care products, including bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Antimicrobial ingredients can also kill organisms that may be present in

ingredients that may be used to make products. Antimicrobial personal care

products, which are sometimes referred to as antibacterial products, provide an

important extra measure of protection for consumers at home and doctors and

nurses in hospitals seeking to prevent spread of germs. These products,

depending on their formulation and application, kill or inhibit the growth of

bacteria that cause skin infections, intestinal illness or other commonly

transmitted diseases. These include potentially fatal illnesses caused by bacteria

such as salmonella and E. coli. (NARMS,2016)

 INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE DEPENDENT OUTCOME
VARIABLE
Active Ingredient Ideal lotion
Efficacy
(Makahiya leaves) Effective
Stability
Inactive Ingredient Safe
Safety
Stable

Paradigm of the study

Statement of the Problem

This study intends to formulate a lotion using the extract of the Mimosa pudica

Linn. (Makahiya) leaves.

1. Does all the phytochemicals present in Mimosa pudica Linn. possesses

antimicrobial property against Staphylococcus aureus?

2. Is the Makahiya leaves formulated as lotion have the same antimicrobial

property as to some of the commercialized lotion specifically Jergens?

3. Is the formulated lotion of Mimosa pudica Linn. stable at 20 - 35 C?

Hypothesis of the study

1. All the phytochemicals present in Mimosa pudica Linn. possesses

antimicrobial property against Staphylococcus aureus.

 2. The Makahiya leaves formulated as lotion have the same antimicrobial

property as to some of the commercialized lotion specifically Jergens.

3. The formulated lotion of Mimosa pudica Linn. is stable at 20-35C.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

Considering the complexity of the preparations and the demands of raw

materials or plant parts used, this study has been limited to theoretical evaluation

based on existing preparation in the community of the active ingredient.

The scope and study is to determine the effect of Makahiya lotion in

inhibiting the growth Staphylococcus aureus. It also focuses on the gathering and

collection of Makahiya leaves, preparation of the sample into dosage form

utilizing the extract as an active ingredient.

The determination of phytochemicals, the determination of the

antimicrobial property of the leaves of Mimosa pudica Linn. and the

microbiological screening of this plant was delimited to this study.

The microbiological screening was determined in terms of the diameters of

growth inhibition in terms of the test organism namely Staphylococcus aureus.

Pure cultures of this test organism was used.