Multi-Approach Assessment of Albizia saponaria Bioactivity Against Dandruff-Related Bacteria and Fungi
Abstract
Dandruff and fungal-associated alopecia result from microbial dysbiosis, including Malassezia furfur, M. globosa, Trichophyton rubrum, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutics with improved safety. This study evaluates the antimicrobial activity of Albizia saponaria stem bark against dandruff-associated microorganisms and identifies the key bioactive metabolites responsible. The work combines in vitro bioassays and GC-MS profiling. Pharmacokinetic screening and molecular docking provide mechanistic insights. Ethanolic extracts were fractionated using hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water, followed by antimicrobial evaluation. The hexane fraction showed the most potent antifungal activity, with inhibition zones of 18.25±1.53 mm (M. furfur), 21.64±1.80 mm (M. globosa), and 22.00±2.35 mm (T. rubrum), significantly higher than other fractions (p<0.05). Its activity against T. rubrum was comparable to ketoconazole (p>0.05). GC-MS identified 21 predominantly lipophilic metabolites, including fatty acid esters, terpenoids, phenolics, and sterol derivatives. Docking analysis revealed notable binding affinities, ranging from -4.3 to -9.5 kcal/mol, with 4-campestene-3-one and norambreinolide exhibiting interactions comparable to ketoconazole at CYP51 and TcaR. Collectively, the results demonstrate that the hexane fraction contains multiple bioactive metabolites with strong antimicrobial potency, mechanistic relevance to ergosterol disruption, biofilm inhibition, and metabolic interference. These findings highlight the hexane fraction as a credible natural antidandruff candidate, warranting further isolation studies and in vivo evaluation.
Keywords: Albizia saponaria; Antimicrobial; GC-MS; Molecular docking.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
ZHOU C., LI X., WANG C., et al. Alopecia areata: An update on etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2021;61(3):403–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-021-08883-0
WIKRAMANAYAKE T.C., HABERLAND N.I., AKHUNDLU A., et al. Prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced alopecia: What is available and what is coming? Curr Oncol. 2023;30(4):3609–3626. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol30040275
IN 'T VEN L., COMPTER I., VAN EIJSDEN K., et al. Pre-treatment visualization of predicted radiation-induced acute alopecia in brain tumour patients. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2022;33:106–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctro.2022.02.003
KHAN H., AKHLAQ M., ANWAR N., et al. Prevalence of hair loss, dandruff, and its knowledge and prevention among the Pakistani population: A cross-sectional study: Hair loss and dandruff in Pakistan. J Health Rehabilitation Res. 2024;4:1–9. https://doi.org/10.61919/jhrr.v4i3.1329
AKBAR M.U., HAQUE A., LIAQUAT S., et al. Biofilm formation by Staphylococcus epidermidis and its inhibition using carvacrol, 2-aminobenzemidazole, and 3-indole acetonitrile. ACS Omega. 2023;8(1):682–687. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c05893
LIN Q., PANCHAMUKHI A., LI P., et al. Malassezia and Staphylococcus dominate scalp microbiome for seborrheic dermatitis. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng. 2021;44(5):965–975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-020-02333-5
PIACENTINI F., CAMERA E., DI NARDO A., et al. Seborrheic dermatitis: Exploring the complex interplay with Malassezia. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(6):e2650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062650
GODSE G., GODSE K. Safety, efficacy and attributes of 2.5% selenium sulfide shampoo in the treatment of dandruff: A single-center study. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e57148. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57148
TYNES B.E., JOHNSON C.D., VAISH M.H., et al. Ketoconazole shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp: A narrative review. Cureus. 2024;16(8):e67532. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.67532
GUPTA A., DONCKER P., TALUKDER M. Role of topical ketoconazole in therapeutic hair care beyond seborrhoeic dermatitis and dandruff. JEADV Clinical Practice. 2025;1(1):1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/jvc2.70026
HIMANIARWATI, ARBA M., SUSILAWATI Y., et al. Hair growth activity of langir (Albizia saponaria Lour.) bark ethanol extract. Asian Association School of Pharmacy, Yogyakarta. 2020.
HIMANIARWATI, ARBA M., SUSILAWATI Y., et al. Hair growth promoting activity of langir bark (Albizia saponaria Lour.) ethanol extract: In vivo assay. Rasayan J Chem. 2022;15(3):2065–2071. https://doi.org/10.31788/RJC.2022.1536829
HIMANIARWATI, ARBA M., SUSILAWATI Y., et al. The potential of langir (Albizia saponaria Lour.) stem bark as anti-dandruff: In silico and in vitro studies. Int J Appl Pharm. 2022;14(5):154–161. https://doi.org/10.22159/ijap.2022.v14s5.33
LUKMAN L., ROSITA N., WIDYOWATI R. Assessment of antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of Albizia saponaria L. bark extract. Sci Technol Indones. 2024;9(2):494–501. https://doi.org/10.26554/sti.2024.9.2.494-501
ASSEFA A., BELAY S., KLOOS H. Evaluation of in-vitro antibacterial activity of extracts of Calpurina aurea, Vernonia amygdalina and Rumex nepalensis in Goba district, southeastern Ethiopia. Egypt J Basic Appl Sci. 2024;11(1):69–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/2314808X.2024.2312785
HASSAN A., ZAIB S., ANJUM T. Evaluation of antifungal potentials of Albizia kalkora extract as a natural fungicide: In vitro and computational studies. Bioorg Chem. 2024;150:e107561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107561
SUBHASHINI R., JEBASTIN T., KHASAMWALA A.M., et al. Experimental and computational insights of Albizia amara phytoconstituents targeting anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase from Malassezia globosa. Acta Tropica. 2024;259:e107365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107365
NGOMBI-AFUH A.P.M., NGA N., NGOUPAYO J. The pharmacological activities of Albizia ferruginea and Newbouldia laevis on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Epidermophyton species. GSC Biol Pharm Sci. 2023;23:133–141. https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2023.23.2.0185
LEE J.-E., JAYAKODY J.T.M., KIM J.-I., et al. The influence of solvent choice on the extraction of bioactive compounds from Asteraceae: A comparative review. Foods. 2024;13(19):e3151. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193151
STROPPEL L., SCHULTZ-FADEMRECHT T., CEBULLA M., et al. Antimicrobial preservatives for protein and peptide formulations: An overview. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(2):e563. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15020563
GUIMARÃES A., VENÂNCIO A. The potential of fatty acids and their derivatives as antifungal agents: A review. Toxins (Basel). 2022;14(3):e188. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14030188
GUTIERREZ-PEREZ C., CRAMER R.A. Targeting fungal lipid synthesis for antifungal drug development and potentiation of contemporary antifungals. NPJ Antimicrob Resist. 2025;3(1):e27. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-025-00093-4
AGUNLOYE M.O., OWU D.U., ONAADEPO O., et al. Phytochemical characterization of ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of avocado Persea americana leaves by FT-IR and GC-MS reveals potential bioactive compounds. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):e27035. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12150-z
MEDEIROS K., COSTA E., OLIVEIRA F., et al. Extracts and fractions with antifungal potential for the treatment of hair disorders. Res Soc Dev. 2022;11:e129111537003. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i15.37003
WU K., KWON S.H., ZHOU X., et al. Overcoming challenges in small-molecule drug bioavailability: A review of key factors and approaches. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(23):e13121. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252313121
REDKA M., BAUMGART S., KUPCZYK D., et al. Lipophilic studies and in silico ADME profiling of biologically active 2-aminothiazol-4(5H)-one derivatives. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(15):e12230. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512230
HALDIYA A., KAIN H., DUBEY S., et al. Investigating sortase A inhibitory potential of herbal compounds using integrated computational and biochemical approaches. Acta Tropica. 2024;260:e107430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107430
SUPURAN C.T., CAPASSO C. A highlight on the inhibition of fungal carbonic anhydrases as drug targets for the Antifungal armamentarium. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(9):e4324. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094324
SONG L., WANG S., ZOU H., et al. Regulation of ergosterol biosynthesis in pathogenic fungi: Opportunities for therapeutic development. Microorganisms. 2025;13(4):e862. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13040862
LESTARI S., KURNIA D., MAYANTI T., et al. Antimicrobial activities of stigmasterol from Piper crocatum in vitro and in silico. J Chem. 2024;(1):e2935516. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/2935516
KOCH C., PESARO M., SCHMAUS G., et al. Medium-chain fatty acid esters-optimising their efficacy as anti-Malassezia agents. Mycoses. 2020;63(7):704–710. https://doi.org/10.1111/myc.13093
LIMA T.L.C., SOUZA L., TAVARES-PESSOA L.C.S., et al. Phytol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles as a novel anticandidal nanobiotechnological approach. Pharmaceutics. 2020;12(9):e871. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12090871
RAJESWARAN S., RAJAN D.K. Neophytadiene: Biological activities and drug development prospects. Phytomedicine. 2025;143:e156872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2025.156872
SAUNTE D.M.L., GAITANIS G., HAY R.J. Malassezia-associated skin diseases, the use of diagnostics and treatment. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:e112. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2020.00112
LI Z., GAO H., MEI H., et al. Synthesis of aminoalkyl sclareolide derivatives and antifungal activity studies. Molecules. 2023;28(10):e4067. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28104067
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
