Ethnobotanical
Leaflets 13: 1373-81, 2009. Herbal vs.
Chemical Actives as Antidandruff Ingredients -Which Are More Effective in the
Management of Dandruff?� An Overview M Prabhamanju1*,
1Mikasa, R&D Centre, Chennai, India 2R & D Center, Cholayil
Private Ltd, Chennai, India Corresponding author Email: mprabhamanju@yahoo.com Issued
November 01, 2009 Abstract Dandruff, a clinical condition caused
by Malassezia (Pityrosporum) species
is of great cosmetic concern all over the world. Dandruff is known to be
controlled by fungistatic ingredients in Anti-dandruff shampoos. A
comparative study on the efficacy of chemical and herbal anti-dandruff
ingredients on �as is� basis and their performance in market shampoos was
done in vitro against Pityrosporum ovale (MTCC 1374). Zinc
pyrithione (ZnPTO), ketoconazole and other azole compounds recorded good
anti-Pityrosporum activity among the chemical ingredients. Herbal ingredients
like tea tree oil, rosemary oil, coleus oil, clove oil, pepper extract, neem
extract, and basil extract also recorded anti-pityrosporum activity, but
their MIC values are much higher than the synthetic ingredients.� Shampoos containing ZnPTO and ketoconazole
recorded higher Key Words : Malassezia,
Pityrosporum, Dandruff, Anti-dandruff activity, Shampoos. Introduction ���������� Dandruff is a common scalp
disorder affecting almost half of the post pubertal population of any
ethnicity and both genders. The exact nature and etiology of dandruff has
always been controversial since the time of the Greeks, through Sabouraud�s
era in late nineteenth century till to-date (Saint-Leger, 1990). Dandruff
represents 25% of all scalp disorders (Herrera-Arellano et al 2004).� It is present in an estimated 15-20% of the
total population ( ������������� The pathogenesis of dandruff
involves hyper proliferation, resulting in deregulation of keratinization.
The corneocytes clump together, manifesting as large flakes of skin.
Essentially keratolytic agents, such as salicylic acid and sulfur, loosen the
attachments between the corneocytes and allow them to be washed away with
shampooing. Keratolytics soften, dissolve and release the adherent scale seen
in dandruff, although the mechanism is not fully understood (Angela San
Philippo, 2006). �������������� The causative agents of
dandruff belong to the group of scalp commensal lipophilic yeasts of the
genus, Malassezia. Eradicating
or controlling the abundance of yeasts appears to be the cleverest strategy for
treating dandruff. Using various methods, different clinical and experimental
protocols and distinct active ingredients, all indicate that applying
antifungal based antidandruff shampoos lead to a stereotyped sequence of
events. (Pierard-Franchimont et al, 2006) ������������������ Several fungi static
compounds have been shown to improve dandruff condition. The main active
ingredients include imidazole derivatives such as ketoconazole and other
compounds such as selenium sulphide, zinc pyrithione (ZnPTO), piroctone
olamine, cipropirox olamine, etc. The ultimate goals of antidandruff products
are to remove scales, reduce Malassezia (Pityrosporum) spp adherence
to corneocytes and inhibit the yeast growth. Besides the chemical actives,
there is a wide range of herbal ingredients like
pepper extract, basil extract, neem extract, rosemary oil, basil oil, clove
oil, coleus oil, tea tree oil which have been documented to have good anti
pityrosporum or antidandruff� (AD)
activity. �������������� There are several independent
studies on these chemical or herbal actives and their efficacy in AD
shampoos. However, there is no comprehensive comparative in vitro study on the AD efficacy of the chemical and herbal
actives on �as is� basis or as a functional ingredient in the formulation (AD
shampoo). Hence the present study was undertaken. Materials and Methods ������������� All natural and synthetic
ingredients were procured from the local market. P. ovale MTCC 1374
culture was received from IMTECH, Minimum
Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) (Krishnamoorthy et al (2006) and Takashi Sugita et al (2005):. 1.
24 hrs broth culture of the test
organism was used for the study. 2.
Doubling dilution of ingredients
were done (5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.6 �g/ml) in the appropriate solvents. 3.
The culture (104 cfu/ml)
in the SDA broth with olive oil was used for inoculation of the tubes with
the test ingredients and incubated at 300 C for 24 hrs. 4.
After 24 hrs from the broth a
loop full of culture was streaked on a SDA agar plate overlaid with olive oil
to know the presence or absence of growth of Malassezia. 5.
Agar dilution method was adapted
for evaluation of shampoos. Different concentrations viz 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 25,
50, 75, 100, 125, 150 mg/ml of shampoos (containing active ingredients) were
weighed separately in the petriplates and the molten SDA was poured and mixed
thoroughly. 6.
20 �l of culture was spread over
the agar. 7.
The plates were incubated at 300
C for 3-5 days. 8.
Experiments were done in
triplicates with suitable controls. Zone
of Inhibition (ZOI) (Kumar GS et al, 2007) 1.
24 hrs broth culture was swabbed
over the surface of 2.
All the active ingredients and
the shampoos were dissolved in their respective solvents at 10 mg/ml
concentration. 3.
A well of 7 mm diameter was cut
at the centre of the agar and 100 �l of the above prepared samples were
loaded on the well. 4.
Plates were incubated at 30 0
C for 3-5 days. 5.
After incubation the zone was
measured using zone measuring scale and recorded. Results
and Discussion: ������������ The recorded results are
presented in Tables 1 & 2, Fig 1 & 2. 1.
Ketoconazole, Metronidazole and
Fluconazole showed MIC of 2.5 �g/ml and ZOI of 25 mm. 2.
ZnPTO and Octopirox showed MIC of
5 �g/ml and ZOI of 25 and 13 mm respectively. 3.
Climbazole showed MIC of 20 �g/ml
and ZOI of 30 mm. 4.
Clove oil recorded good activity
with a least MIC of 1000 �g/ml. 5.
Coleus oil showed MIC at 25 mg/ml
and ZOI of 8 mm, Basil oil recorded MIC at 10 mg/ml and ZOI of 5 mm, tea tree
oil at 100 mg/ml and ZOI was nil and Rosemary oil at 200 mg/ml and ZOI was
nil. 6.
Propylene glycol extract of
pepper showed MIC of 80 mg/ml, neem and Basil
extracts showed inhibition at 100 mg/ml. No zones were observed. 7.
Base shampoo (Control) showed MIC
of 150 mg/ml and ZOI of 10 mm. 8.
Shampoos A,B,C with 1% ZnPTO showed
MIC at 5 mg/ml and ZOI of 27 mm dia., 1% ketoconazole showed MIC of 5 mg/ml
and ZOI of 30 mm, 0.5 % climbazole showed MIC of 10 mg/ml and ZOI of 27 mm. 9.
Herbal shampoo with 0.23% of
Climbazole and tea tree oil, henna and lemon extract showed MIC at 25 mg/ml
and ZOI of 23 mm. 10. Herbal
shampoo with rosemary oil and tea tree oil showed MIC of 100 mg/ml and ZOI of
10 mm. The
lack of ZOI for the oils may be attributed to their inability to diffuse
through the agar medium. Among the shampoos, those containing ZnPTO and
Ketoconazole recorded higher activity levels. According to our survey in �������������� In the survey conducted in
Chennai population (consisting of both sexes) of 324 consumers only 138 were
using AD shampoos of which 114 were users of shampoos with ZnPTO (82.6%), 8
were users of shampoo with ketoconazole, 8 were users of herbal shampoos and
another 8 were using shampoos with climbazole. A large population (n= 186)
were using shampoos with no specific antidandruff ingredients despite having
dandruff problem. This could be due to the lack of awareness regarding use of
anti-dandruff shampoos or that their dandruff condition may be in the range
of mild to moderate which would have been managed by regular hair washing
with an ordinary shampoo. The preference to ZnPTO based shampoos by the
consumers is mainly because of the better management of dandruff by these
shampoos (data not included). The results of the present in vitro studies also justify this stand. ZnPTO besides
controlling the proliferation of the causative agent may also heal the scalp
by normalizing epithelial keratinization, sebum production, or both. Some of
the earlier studies have also shown a significant reduction in the numbers of
yeast organisms after the application of zinc pyrithione. Ketoconazole is a
broad spectrum antimycotic agent that is active against P. ovale (Angela San Philippo, 2006). Ketoconazole, an imidazole derivative, is effective against
many fungi both ����������������� Among the herbal
ingredients tea tree oil recorded significant anti-fungal activity. Tea tree
oil is the essential oil of the leaves of the Australian Melaleuca
alternifolia tree. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons and terpenes,
consisting of almost 100 substances. The antimicrobial property is attributed
primarily to the major component, terpinen-4-ol. Tea tree oil represents a
sound alternative for patients with dandruff who prefer a natural product and
who are willing to shampoo their hair daily (Angela San Philippo,
2006). In our current study, basil oil and coleus oil recorded the highest
activity among the herbal ingredients. Table 1: MIC
and ZOI for all synthetic and Herbal ingredients
Table 2 : Anti
dandruff activity of Shampoos with synthetic and herbal active ingredients
Figure 1: ZOI
of different active ingredients against P.ovale
1374. ����������� Figure 2: ZOI
for Shampoos with different active ingredients against P.ovale 1374.
�� ������������Ketoconazole and ZnPTO based
shampoos (OTC products) are used more by the consumers for common dandruff
problems. The shampoos with ZnPTO are preferred by majority of the consumers
not only as the shampoo brands with ZnPTO (AD ingredient) are cheaper but also
provide the desired functional benefit�
However, in very severe cases of dandruff , ketoconazole based
shampoos are preferred despite their relatively higher costs. ������������ Herbal ingredients like tea tree
oil, rosemary oil, coleus oil, clove oil, pepper extract, neem extract, and
basil extract also recorded anti-pityrosporum activity, but their MIC are
much higher than the synthetic ingredients. These ingredients can be
exploited for its AD activity individually or in combination in AD shampoos. The
commercial shampoos with tea tree oil, rosemary oil, henna, lemon also
recorded good anti-pityrosporum activity in
vitro but not better than shampoos with synthetic ingredients in both MIC
and ZOI assays. But for regular usage even shampoos with herbal AD
ingredients may suffice the purpose. Acknowledgements ����������� Sincere thanks to Mr. Ketan,
Managing Director, Ms. Neetha, Manager HR and Mr. Ganesh, GM � R & D of
Mikasa cosmetics Ltd. I also thank my friends and colleagues for their help
and co-operation References Angela
San philippo, M.D. and Joseph C.English III,MD. 2006. An overview of
Medicated shampoos used in Dandruff treatment. P&T 31(7): 396-400. Faergemann,
J., and Djirv, L. 1982. Tinea versicolor: treatment and prophylaxis with
ketoconazole. Cutis 30:542-550. Heel,
R. C., Brogden, R. N., Carmin,L., Morley, P. A., Speight, T. M. and Avery, G.
S. 1982. Ketoconazole: a review of its therapeutic efficacy in superficial
and systemic fungal infections. Drugs
23:1-36. Herrera-Arellano, A.,
Jimenez-Ferrer, E., Vega-Pimentel, A.M., Martinez- Revera Mde, L.,
Hernandez-Hernandez, M., Zamilpa, A.� et al. 2004.
Clinical and mycological evaluation of therapeutic effectiveness of Solanum
chrysotrichum standardized extract on patients with Pityriasis capitis
(dandruff). A double blind and randomized clinical trial controlled with
ketoconazole. Planta Med 70: 483-8 Krishnamoorthy,
J.R., Ranganathan, S., Gokul Shankar, S., Ranjith, M.S. 2006. Dano : A herbal
solution for Dandruff. African J.
Biotechnol Vol.5(10), 960-962. Kumar
GS., Jayaveera, KN., Ashok kumar CK., Umachigi P Sanjay., BM Vrushabendra
Swamy, DV Kishore Kumar. 2007. Antimicrobial effects of Indian medicinal
plants against acne-inducing bacteria. Tropical
Journal of Pharmaceutical research. Vol 6 (2) : 717-723. Pierard-Franchimont, C., Xhauflaire-Uhoda, E. and
Pierard,G.E. 2006. Revisiting Dandruff. International Journal of cosmetic Science
28. 311-318 Ro,
B.I. and Saint-Leger,
D. 1990. The history of dandruff and dandruff in history. A homage to
Raymond�� Sabouraud. Ann Dermatol Venereol� 117:
23-7. Selden
S. Seborrhoic dermatitis. In: Travers R, Vinson RP, Meffert J, Quirk C, James
WD, (edi). eMedicine world library. 2005 Sep 23 [cited 2006 Nov 30].
Available from: URL: http://www.emedicine.
com/derm/topic396.htm Takashi
Sugita, Mami Tajima, Tomonobu Ito, Masuyoshi saito, Ryoji Tsuboi, and Akemi
Nishikawa. 2005. Antifungal activites of Tacrolimus and Azole agents against
the eleven currently accepted Malassezia
Sp. Journal of Clin. Microbiol
2824-2829. |