Microbial contamination in clinical laboratory environments poses potential health risks and demands effective hygienic solutions. The present study aimed to isolate and identify microorganisms from laboratory swab samples and to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of essential oil extracted from Portulaca grandiflora flowers, followed by formulation of a herbal hand wash gel. Swab samples collected from laboratory surfaces and personnel hands were cultured and characterized using standard microbiological methods. The isolates included Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. Essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus with a yield of 2.4% (v/w). Phytochemical characterization through UV–Visible spectroscopy, FTIR, and GC–MS analysis confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds, including phenolics and terpenoids. The antimicrobial efficacy of the formulated hand wash gel was evaluated using the disc diffusion method. The formulation exhibited appreciable antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Antioxidant assays, including superoxide anion scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, metal chelating activity, ABTS radical scavenging, and reducing power assay, demonstrated concentration-dependent activity, indicating strong free radical scavenging potential.
RAVICHANDRAN et al. (Sun,) studied this question.