Background: Utilizing pomegranate peel as an antibacterial agent in topical formulations presents an opportunity for optimization through innovative drug delivery systems, notably encapsulating extracts and fractions within a nanoemulgel. Objective: This study aimed to formulate ethanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction of pomegranate peel into nanoemulgels and assess their antibacterial activity against skin disease-causing bacteria. Methods: The methodology encompassed extraction, formulation, testing, and antibacterial assays involving maceration and fractionation using ethanol and ethyl acetate solvents. The physical properties and antibacterial efficacy of the nanoemulgels were evaluated. Results: Nanoemulsions derived from pomegranate peel ethanol extracts and ethyl acetate exhibited promising attributes, demonstrating 98.27 % and 98.77 % transmittance levels and zeta potentials of 0.18 mV and 0.32 mV. The nanoemulgel with ethanol had a pH of 6.62 ± 0.02, 6.86 ± 0.01, 6.3 ± 0.01 in 0.5 %, 1 %, and 1.5 % concentrations. For nanoemulgels with ethyl acetate, the pH levels for concentrations 0.5 %, 1 %, and 1.5 % are 6.58 ± 0.00, 6.80 ± 0.01, and 6.94 ± 0.01, respectively. These nanoemulgels displayed consistent odour, colour, and homogeneity characteristics, highlighting their suitability for topical application. The adhesion, spreadability, and viscosity assessments showed concentration-dependent variations, influencing effectiveness and user comfort. Notably, these nanoemulgels displayed substantial potential as antimicrobial agents against S. aureus and S. epidermidis bacteria in inhibitory assays, signalling promise for addressing skin infections. Conclusion: Overall, the study underscores the potential of nanoemulgels derived from pomegranate peel extracts as a natural alternative for topical antimicrobial therapy against skin infections.

Background: Sumac (Rhus coriaria L. epicarp) is an Iranian traditional spice which is widely used in the country. Following the recent efforts to look for healthy herbal remedies with antimicrobial potential, the effect of total extract of sumac was investigated on some clinical isolates of skin bacteria. Materials and methods: Hydroalcholic extract of Sumac prepared from Tehran botanicals drug market was extracted by maceration method using 80% ethanol. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was studied and compared with the commercial antibiotic of Gentamycin as positive control. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of the extract were determined against the skin bacteria of Corynebacterium xerosis and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The skin bacteria used included ten axilla isolates of C. xerosis, seven skin isolates of S. epidermidis and also a standard strain of S. epidermidis ATCC 12229. Results: The results obtained in this study indicate considerable antimicrobial effect of Sumac on skin bacteria. Sumac showed bactericidal effect on all of the tested strains. The MIC obtained against most of the microorganisms was 1.56 mg/ml. Discussion: The antimicrobial effect of Sumac on skin bacteria looks promising. Further studies should be conducted on identification and purification of the potential antimicrobial compound of Sumac which could be used in the antiseptic products.

Background: Increased antibiotic resistance among nosocomial infections has made the treatment of these infections difficult. Staphylococcus epidermidis is also known as one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of resistance to macrolide, lincosamid and streptogramin antibiotics, in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) strains isolated from clinical samples and to detect their related resistance genes.Methods: For a period of 8 months, from 250 clinical Staphylococcus strains, 100 isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis were identified and the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates were determined using the disc diffusion method. MRSE samples were isolated by using the disk diffusion method for cefoxitin. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of erythromycin was determined using the micro dilution method. The frequency of inducible clindamycin resistance phenotype was detected via D test method and the resistance genes to MLSB were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.Findings: Among 100 Staphylococcus epidermidis strains, 52 isolates were MRSE. The frequency of resistance phenotype iMLSB, MS and cMLSB were 17.3%, 13.4% and 48%, respectively. The frequency of the resistance genes ermC, msrA and ermA were 73%, 11.5% and 5.7%, respectively.Conclusion: The high frequency of the ermC gene among isolates is a serious warning to health systems; thus, use of convenient and effective treatment methods after antibiotic susceptibility tests is necessary.

Background and Aim: Infections caused by Staphylococcus species associated with biofilm are considered as a serious clinical concern in medical devices used patients with serious clinical illness and are usually possible source of nosocomial infections. The polysaccharide adhesion mechanism encoded by the ica operon generate a direct role in biofilm formation and infection of the bacteria. In this study, the presence of ica operon were studied in clinical isolates of S. aureus and S. epidermidis in relation to the biofilm formation.Materials and Methods: In this study, the 27 S. aureus isolates and 73 S. epidermidis isolates were identified by conventional biochemical methods. The ability to biofilm formation was evaluated by colony morphology on Congo red agar (CRA) and test tube. Presence of the ica genes was detected by PCR method.Results: In this study, from 27 S. aureus isolates and 73 S. epidermidis, 25 (93%) and 70 (96%) isolates had the ability to form biofilms respectively. Genetic analysis showed that icaRADBC operon was present in 4 and 11% of S. aureus isolates and S. epidermidis isolates respectively. The S. epidermidis isolates were more frequently positive for icaA, icaB and icaC than S. aureus while the most prevalent gene was icaD found in 30% of the S. aureus isolates.Conclusions: The results obtained showed that in consistent with other researches; biofilm formation in Staphylococcal isolates was not associated with present of ica operon and presumably depend on several factors.

Background: Not only is it crucial to rapidly detect Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) isolates from a broad range of bacteria, but recognizing resistance agents can greatly improve current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Methods: The current cross-sectional study investigated 120 clinical isolates from a nosocomial S. epidermidis infection. The isolates were identified using common biochemical tests, and specific S. epidermidis surface protein C (SesC) primers were used to confirm the presence of S. epidermidis. PCR and special primers were used to detect the β,-lactamase gene (blaZ). Methicillin resistance was measured using the agar screening method and antibiotic susceptibility was measured by disk diffusion. Results: 100 samples were characterized as S. epidermidis using a phenotypic and genotypic methods. From the 100 specimens examined, 80% contained blaZ. According to agar screening, 60% of isolates were methicillin-resistant. S. epidermidis isolates demonstrated the highest resistance to penicillin (93%) and the highest sensitivity to cefazolin (39%). Conclusions: The increased resistance to β,-lactam antibiotics in S. epidermidis isolates is alarming, and certain precautions should be taken by healthcare systems to continuously monitor the antimicrobial pattern of S. epidermidis, so that an appropriate drug treatment can be established.