Octenidine dihydrochloride is a topical antimicrobial used in personal care and medical industry. It is similar in its action to the quaternary ammonium compounds (quats), but is of somewhat broader spectrum of activity.

 

Octenidine is currently increasingly used in continental Europe as a substitute for quats or chlorhexidine (with respect to its slow action and concerns about the carcinogenic impurity 4-chloroaniline) in water- or alcohol-based skin, mucosa and wound antiseptics. In aqueous formulations, it is often potentiated with addition of 2-phenoxyethanol.   

 

As topical antimicrobial agents, Octenidine is typically used for skin, mu­cous membrane and open wound decontamination. Octenidine meets the need for a broad-spectrum antimicrobial suitable for wound care.    

 

First launched in the UK during 1990, octenidine is available in three formulations in the UK: octenilin® wound gel (0.05% octenidine); octenilin® wound irrigation solution (0.05% octenidine); and octenisan® wash lotion (0.3% octenidine) for decolonisation.    

 

Octenidine is more active than 4% chlorhexidine against S aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli  and Candida albicans, etc.    

 

At concentrations of <1.5μM, octenidine reduced numbers of these bacteria by 99% within 15 minutes. However, the wound environment may modify bacteriological potency recorded in culture: 8% serum reduces the effectiveness of chlorhexidine between 2.5 and 35-fold. In vitro, the addition of pus or 25% blood reduces chlorhexidine’s effectiveness by around 1-log step. In contrast, blood (up to 10%), albumin and mucin do not undermine octenidine’s efficacy. This observation suggests that products containing octenidine retain antibacterial efficacy when applied to wounds.