Efficacy of World Health Organization-Recommended Homemade Hand Sanitizer Against Bacteria and Fungus

  Introduction: Handwashing is among the best practices to prevent the transmission of various diseases especially during the pandemic. Handwashing with soap can reduce respiratory tract infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) released guidelines for making homemade hand sanitizer. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of antibacterial hand- rub, as recommended by WHO, containing ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, and glycerol in varying concentrations against bacteria and fungus. Methods: This experimental laboratory study was designed to assay the efficacy of hand sanitizer ingredients—96% ethanol, 3% hydrogen peroxide, and 98% glycerol, as recommended by WHO—against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Commercial hand rubs were used in this study for comparison. Result: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing showed that the WHO hand rub at 25% concentration inhibited E. coli and S. aureus growth, while 12,5% concentration inhibited C. albicans. Conclusion: The WHO-recommended homemade hand sanitizer containing ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, and glycerol at a concentration of 50% is effective in eliminating Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and concentration of 25% is effective on Candida albicans. Further study is needed to analyse these materials against other bacteria and viruses

The anti-inflammatory effects of glycerol-supplemented probiotic lactobacillus reuteri on infected epithelial cells In vitro

Background: One of the most interesting effects of probiotics is their ability to modulate the immune system through the induction of cytokines and to enhance the host immune response. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of glycerol-supplemented Lactobacillus reuteri on the transcription level of interleukin (IL)-8 and human-beta-defensin (hBD)-2 expressed by epithelial cells after exposure to bacteria. Materials and Methods: The confluent-cultured HaCat cell line (105 cells/mL) was exposed to Streptococcus mutans ATCC-25175 and Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC-33277 (107 colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) for 24 h and challenged with probiotic L. reuteri ATCC-55730 (107 CFU/mL) supplemented with glycerol. Subsequently, the transcription levels of IL-8 and hBD-2 in HaCat cells were analyzed using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, cell viability was analyzed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. All the obtained data were statistically analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance test, with P 90%). mRNA expression of IL-8 and hBD-2 increased after exposure to both bacteria. The presence of glycerol-supplemented L. reuteri significantly reduced the expression of IL-8 and hBD-2 on HaCat cells (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Glycerol-supplemented L. reuteri reduced the expression of IL-8 and hBD-2, and the results may be proof of principle for a probiotic approach to combating inflammation. However, further studies are needed to validate this probiotic effect