A Lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Dr.rer.nat. Ronny Martien, M.Sc., introduced herbal hand sanitizer spray nanopolymers. This product is an alternative antiseptic, which is currently rare on the market due to Coronavirus outbreaks.
"The raw materials used are green betel leaves which are widely used as traditional medicine and become local wisdom of ancestral heritage," he explained on Tuesday (10/3) during a press conference at the UGM Fortakgama Room.
Ronny has been developing a product called the Spray Leaf Nano polymer Infusa Nano polymer in the past year. Green betel leaf was chosen as raw material because it has an antibacterial activity, which is generally caused by bacterial infections such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Also, the use of synthetic antibiotics causes a lot of bacterial resistance, so it is necessary to formulate natural ingredients such as green betel leaf.
Ronny said that the ingredient of hand sanitizers are using nanotechnology. The formulation in the form of nanoparticles carried out because green betel leaves had relatively low solubility in water. The nanoparticle formulation makes it able to improve the drug delivery system and the stability of the active substance in betel leaf infusion.
Formula characteristics have a particle size of 246.9 nm, with an absorption efficiency of 23.36 percent. The inhibition zone diameter of nano polymer preparations against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria was 7.85 mm and 9.61 mm.
"We have tested it in the laboratory for its activity as an antibacterial. The results are better at inhibiting bacterial growth than non-formulated nanoparticles extracts," Ronny said.
The infusion nano polymer spray of the betel leaf is made alcohol-free by formulating betel leaf infusion with chitosan. Concerning the widespread of Coronavirus, the presence of products aims to be an alternative solution to overcome the scarcity and high cost of hand sanitizers on the market.
"I hope this product of infusion nano polymer spray of betel leaf can help the public in maintaining health and overcoming the scarcity of antiseptics on the market," he said.
Author: Ika
Photo: Vino
Translator: Natasa A