INTRODUCTION:

Protection, control, and sensory perception are all greatly aided by the skin, the biggest organ in the body. The three primary layers are the dermis, hypodermis, and epidermis¹. Inflammation, pimples, and breakouts are the results of bacteria (Cut bacterium acnes), dead skin cells, and excessive sebum production clogging hair follicles². Cutibacterium acnes, in conjunction with other opportunistic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, is the main cause of acne³. Bambusa vulgaris is a medicinal plant that is used to treat acne.⁵ It is widely grown among the most popular bamboo species, widely dispersed around tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia⁶. The species is rich in phytochemical composition, and hence, it is highly appreciated in traditional medicine, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical uses⁷.

The most important bioactive constituents found in Bambusa vulgaris are flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids with very strong antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities⁸.Bambusa vulgaris contains essential proteins, amino acids, and silica (silicon dioxide) that are important factors for skin repair, collagen formation, and even wound healing⁹. Due to the diversity of its phytochemical profile, Bambusa vulgaris is progressively now being explored in medication methods for administration using nanotechnology to enhance wound healing and anti-acne treatment efficacy from two points of view.⁵Bamboo has been noted for its potential application in various nanotechnology-based formulations, as the properties of bamboo-derived bioactive compounds could improve the permeating efficiency, stability, and bioavailability of drugs¹⁰.

In the treatment of acne, nanogels are one of the colloidal delivery ways, having many advantages, such as enhanced epidermal permeability, sustained drug release, and personalized drug delivery¹¹. Using nanotechnology, it also focuses on the preparation of an acne nanogel based on Bambusa vulgaris for acne treatment, to improve therapeutic effectiveness using the antibacterial properties of its bioactive ingredients¹².

In this research, an anti-acne nanogel based on particles prepared from bamboo was successfully formulated and characterized for its physicochemical properties, antimicrobial activity against acne-inducing bacteria, as well as skin compatibility¹³. Microbial techniques: the cup-plate method and Franz diffusion method will be used to investigate the inhibitory potential of antimicrobial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and various bacteria responsible for acne¹⁴. The integration of antimicrobials into nanocomposite systems welcomes the challenge of antibiotic resistance to present a potential approach in acne management¹⁵. Development of Bambusa vulgaris into a native nanogel-based approach would provide a green, natural, and efficient management of acne with improved antimicrobial activity¹⁶.

Resources and Techniques:

Plant material collection:

Fresh leaves of bamboos are obtained from the local market. Washing was done with deionized water followed by purification with sulfuric acid, and every glassware was dried in a hot air oven¹⁷.

Making extract:

This was coarsely powdered after sundry shade with the water and ethanol in a ratio of 30ml and 70ml, respectively, the plant was subjected to three days of maceration in a sealed container in the dark. After three days, the mixture was filtered through Whatman filter paper No.1 to thin down the thickened material at ambient temperature. The finished extract must be kept in an airtight amber vial at room temperature for experimental investigations¹⁸.

Development of Herbal Nanogel formulation:

Fig No.1. Filtration

Fig No.2 Herbal extract

Fig No.3. Bath sonicator

The spreading process was used to create the antimicrobial gel. In a beaker, 3ml of water was mixed with the necessary quantity of Carbopol. The Carbopol was allowed to swell in the beaker for fifteen minutes. The bamboo extract and a weighted quantity of propylene glycol were then added to the beaker and swirled. As an alternative, slurry of powdered bamboo leaves in propylene glycol can alternatively be made and placed in the beaker with the Carbopol combination. A bath sonicator was used to sonicate the aforementioned combination for ten to fifteen minutes. Triethanolamine was added to bring the pH down to 7 after the powdered extract of bamboo leaves had been distributed evenly.¹⁹

Formulation table:^20,21,22

Table 1. Creation of an herbal gel formulation

Components	F₁	F₂	F₃
Extract from bamboo	0.9 ml	0.9ml	0.9ml
Carbopol 934	1%	1.5%	2%
Propylene glycol	1.5ml	1.5ml	1.5ml
Sodium Benzoate	0.06g	0.06g	0.06g
Triethanolamine (to alter the pH)	Q.S.	Q.S.	Q.S.
Purified Water	40ml	40ml	40ml

Evaluation of Herbal Nanogel:

Physical testing:

On visual examination, color and homogeneity of every herbal gel formulation were examined.

Fig No.4 Digital pH meter

pH:

A digital pH meter was used to measure the pH of each herbal nanogel composition. ²³

Washability:

After the application of formulation onto the skin, manual evaluation was performed to find out how good and complete was the removal with water.²⁴

Spreadability:

The spread ability of gel formulations was assessed by measuring the spreading diameter of 1g of gel between two horizontally positioned plates.²⁵

Viscosity: A Brookfield viscometer with a spindle of 64 at 10 rpm was used to measure the viscosity of the batches that were created. A beaker was filled with a formulation whose viscosity had been previously measured. Once the spindle was allowed time to travel into the nanogel, a reading was taken.²⁶

Antibacterial activity:

The disc diffusion technique was employed to test herbal gels for microorganisms. S. aureus and E. coli were the two bacterial agents used to test the gels against. After being suspended in nutrient broth, a loop filled with the natural microbial culture was maintained for a whole day. Sterilized nutrient agar material was poured onto Petri dishes. After solidification, a rod was employed in order to distribute equally 0.1 ml of the inoculums on the agar. A 6 mm diameter cavity was created, and the resulting gel was placed inside. The control was a regular antibiotic. For a day, the inoculation plates are incubated. Measurements and observations were taken afterwards of the zone of inhibition around the disk.²⁷

Stability:

It was done with open and closed containers. Here, the stability of nanogel at room temperature for a 1-month stability study was calculated.²⁸

RESULT:

Below is Table 2, which shows the physical parameters of the herbal gels that were created, comprising color, homogeneity, pH, washability, spread ability, and viscosity. Table 3 below shows the results of all prepared herbal gels' antibacterial activity against certain pathogenic microorganisms, and Fig. No. 6 below shows the results of all created herbal gels' zone of inhibition against the pathogens.

Fig No.5. Spredability of formulated herbal gels

Table No. 3: Results of herbal nanogel’s antibacterial activity

Microorganism Cultures	Area where herbal gel is inhibited
Microorganism Cultures	Standard drug²⁹	F₁	F₂	F₃
S. aureus	27	10	12	14
E. coli	30	8	10	11

Fig No.6. Antibacterial activity of formulated herbal gels

Stability Study:

All batches F1, F2, F3 were discovered to be stable in close containers and unstable when stored in open container

Fig no.7. Stability of herbal gel formulation

Table No.4: Results of stability

Formulations	Closed container	Open Container
F1	Stable	Unstable
F2	Stable	Unstable
F3	Stable	Unstable

DISCUSSION:

The formulated herbal gels were found to be in the greenish to dark greenish range and were good in respect to uniformity. This range of pH (6.23-6.36) is in agreement with the generally accepted pH for skin. The viscosity of these formulations was found to vary at 4533-4787cp at 10rpm on a Brookfield viscometer. The spreadability of all herbal gels was in the range of 30-43 mm. Antimicrobial assays done on all developed herbal gels showed good results of zone inhibition against skin pathogens.²⁹

CONCLUSION:

Herbal preparations are comparatively safer and better than their allopathic medications. In the present study, herbal nanogels from extracts of plant Bambusa Vulgaris leaves were prepared using Carbopol 934 as a polymer and other auxiliary substances. The physical properties were studied and were found to be acceptable. Based on antibacterial activity, prepared herbal nanogels of Bambusa Vulgaris leaf extract have been shown to exhibit significant activity against tested pathogens, which was comparable to that of standard antibiotics. Hence, based on all these evaluation for antimicrobial properties of the formulated herbal gels, the final conclusion is that the developed herbal nanogels have strong antibacterial power and hence are more preferable over allopathic medicines in terms of safety and efficacy.

LIST OF SYMBOLS:

Sr. No.	List of symbol	Abbreviation
1.	ml	milliliter
2.	No.	Number
3.	gm	Gram
4.	E. coli	Escherichia coli
5.	S. aureus	Staphylococcus aureus
6.	Q.s	Quantity sufficient
7.	pH	Potential of hydrogen
8.	Fig.	Figure
9.	mm	Millimeter
10.	rpm	Revolution per minute

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

The authors express appreciation to the Ashokrao Mane College of Pharmacy administration in Peth-Vadgaon, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, for providing the facilities and guidance required for successful completion of this project.

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Received on 25.04.2025 Revised on 15.08.2025

Accepted on 30.10.2025 Published on 20.05.2026

Available online from May 25, 2026

Research J. Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(5):2047-2051.

DOI: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00293

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.

Code of Formulation	Color	Homogeneity	pH	Washability	Spredibility (mm)	Viscosity (cp)
F₁	Light-green	Good	6.36	Easily washable	30mm	4533
F₂	Greenish	Good	6.23	Easily washable	43mm	4787
F₃	Light-green	Good	6.30	Easily washable	40mm	4658