Phytochemical, Antibacterial, and Cytotoxic Properties of Suji Plant (Dracaena angustifolia [Medik.] Roxb.) Nanoemulsion Serum as Potential Anti-Acne

Acne or acne vulgaris is a common skin condition caused by clogging of hair follicles or poresof oily skin. Suji (Dracaena angustifolia [Medik.] Roxb.), an Indonesian herbal plant, is used toprevent bacterial growth. The study was conducted to identify the phytochemicals of ethanolextract of suji leaves and analyze the cytotoxic and antibacterial properties againstPropionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus of its nanoemulsion. The results showedthat the ethanol extract of suji leaves contained active compounds of alkaloids, phenols,flavonoids, saponins, triterpenoids, and steroids which are secondary metabolites. Serumnanoemulsion showed strong antibacterial activity against Propionibacterium acnes andStaphylococcus aureus at 500 and 750 ppm. The IC50 value of MTT Assay for the cytotoxiceffect of nanoemulsion of ethanol extract of suji leaves was 61.92 µg/mL, which indicated thatthe extract was moderately active against prepuce cells, which is used as a model of acne proneskin. Nanoemulsion of suji leaf ethanol extract has antibacterial and cytotoxic properties, so ithas potential as an anti-acne agent.