Sansevieria aethiopica (Thunb) has been reported to be used for the treatment of oral infections in Eastern Cape of South Africa. Based on ethnobotanical survey, the plant was selected for the possible synergistic effects of its acetone, ethanol and methanolic extracts with gentamicin on the planktonic and sessile cells of Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 and Enterococcus faecalis KZN. In vitro interactions between the plant extracts and gentamicin were studied using checkerboard macrodilution method and anti-biofilm activity of the iso-effective combinations was determined by semi-quantitative adherence assay. Acetone extract of S. aethiopica has the highest inhibitory activity. The minimum concentration of gentamicin that inhibited the two isolates was the same (0.016 mg/ml). Different isoeffective points were observed with fractional inhibitory concentration indexes ranged between 0.375 and 1.9313. Out of the iso-effective points observed only four were synergistic while one was addictive. The maximum biofilm reduction was observed when the two antibacterial agents were combined. We therefore suggest that the extracts of the plant at the test concentrations can be used in combination with gentamicin for oral hygiene.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.