## 2 Results and Discussion
### Assessment of Antimicrobial Properties  
The present study also assessed the inhibitory effect of the tested hydrogels on the growth of nine bacterial strains and two fungal strains. The results are given in Table 4. The tested hydrogels showed different abilities to inhibit the growth of the tested microorganisms. Most strains' largest growth inhibition zones were observed for H-CBD-TER \(>\) H-CBD \(>\) H-CON. The antibacterial effect was more substantial for the higher hydrogel concentration (5.0%). In the case of studies using bacterial strains, the effect of individual hydrogels depended on the strain, while in the case of fungal strains, hydrogels loaded with TER had stronger properties than those with CBD. No growth inhibition was noted for two of the tested strains, _Bacillus subtilis_ and _Lactobacillus acidophilus_, in the case of any of the tested hydrogels. The analyzed hydrogels caused an inhibition zone from 5 to 36 mm in diameter, strictly dependent on the hydrogel's type and the concentration of the microorganism used (Table 4). In response to the constantly growing number of skin diseases caused by the excessive multiplication of microorganisms, both bacteria and fungi, on the skin surface, the possibility of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms by active substances tested in this study gives an opportunity for the development of more effective therapeutic methods [60; 61]. Other authors also described the antimicrobial properties of TER and proved the possibility of inhibiting the multiplication of many bacterial strains by this compound [25; 62]. Although the mechanism of the antibacterial action of TER and other components of various essential oils has not been fully understood, many authors try to explain this action. [PERSON] et al. showed that this compound can induce various morphological changes in bacterial cells, reducing their size and causing an irregular cell shape. Also, microorganisms' cell walls and cell membranes may be disrupted, and the nucleus cytoplasm \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Test Microorganism**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Zone of Inhibition [mm] (Mean \(\pm\) SD)**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**H-CON**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**H-CBD**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**H-TER**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**H-CBD-TER**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & **1.0\%** & **5.0\%** & **1.0\%** & **5.0\%** & **1.0\%** & **5.0\%** & **1.0\%** & **5.0\%** \\ \hline _Staphylococcus aureus_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(8\pm 1\) & \(14\pm 1\) & \(10\pm 1\) & \(18\pm 2\) & \(12\pm 2\) & \(20\pm 2\) \\ _Staphylococcus epidermidis_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(7\pm 1\) & \(10\pm 1\) & \(18\pm 3\) & \(24\pm 3\) & \(14\pm 1\) & \(22\pm 2\) \\ _Staphylococcus capitis_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(11\pm 2\) & \(17\pm 2\) & \(10\pm 2\) & \(14\pm 2\) & \(14\pm 1\) & \(20\pm 1\) \\ _Microococcus luteus_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(8\pm 1\) & \(11\pm 1\) & \(10\pm 1\) & \(16\pm 3\) & \(15\pm 2\) & \(22\pm 2\) \\ _Propionibacterium acnes_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(6\pm 1\) & \(9\pm 1\) & \(13\pm 2\) & \(10\pm 1\) & \(15\pm 2\) \\ _Cornobacterium xerosis_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(7\pm 1\) & \(11\pm 1\) & \(11\pm 1\) & \(16\pm 2\) & \(12\pm 1\) & \(17\pm 2\) \\ _Bacillus subtilis_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) \\ _Kcouria kristinae_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(11\pm 1\) & \(16\pm 2\) & \(7\pm 1\) & \(9\pm 1\) & \(23\pm 2\) & \(34\pm 3\) \\ _Lactobacillus acidophilus_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(5\pm 1\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) \\ _Candidia albicans_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(14\pm 1\) & \(22\pm 2\) & \(23\pm 12\) & \(33\pm 3\) & \(25\pm 3\) & \(36\pm 3\) \\ _Malassia furfur_ & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(\mathrm{nd}\) & \(12\pm 1\) & \(16\pm 1\) & \(11\pm 1\) & \(16\pm 1\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} nd—not detected.  
\end{table}