Antimicrobial activity of copaiba oil (Copaifera ssp.) on oral pathogens: Systematic review

Abstract

Copaifera ssp. produces an oil-resin that presents antiinflammatory, antitumor, antiseptic, germicidal, antifungal, and antibacterial activity. This systematic review aimed to analyze the antimicrobial action of Copaiba oil against oral pathogens, when compared to that of control substances. A search on Medline/PubMed, LILACS, SciELO, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases were performed up to March 2017. To be included, the studies needed to perform any antimicrobial activity essay, using copaiba oil and a control substance. The antimicrobial effect of each substance, in each study, was extracted. Eleven studies were included, and several copaiba species were used. All studies showed that copaiba oil, regardless of its species, presented a bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic effect in in vitro analyzes. Only one study showed that the antimicrobial effect of the Copaifera officinalis was similar to the one found in chlorhexidine. A higher risk of bias was detected in most of the included studies. The studies demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of copaiba oil, in most cases, is lower than chlorhexidine, which is considered the gold standard. However, there is great potential against oral bacteria. Further high quality studies are warranted in order to assess the efficacy of copaiba oil on oral pathogens.

Brazilian Copaifera Species: Antifungal Activity against Clinically Relevant Candida Species, Cellular Target, and In Vivo Toxicity

“…Targeted research into the discovery of new drugs from natural products has proven to be an alternative of growing interest for scientists and the pharmaceutical industry. Products obtained from the Copaifera tree, such as oleoresins, essential oils, and leaf extracts, have shown relevant results in experiments related to antibacterial activity, but studies related to its antifungal activity are scarce [ 13 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Antibacterial Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis, Zingiber officinale, Citrus aurantium bergamia, and Copaifera officinalis Alone and in Combination with Calcium Hydroxide against Enterococcus faecalis

“…In addition, higher concentrations were necessary for this inhibition, 223.75 mg/ml for the pure essential oil and 173 mg/ml when combined with calcium hydroxide. In the systematic review conducted by Diefenbach et al [33], the studies demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of copaiba oil against oral pathogens is lower than that of chlorhexidine in most cases. In only one study did copaiba oil exert an antimicrobial effect similar to the positive control.…”

Natural killer activity of the spleen cells of Ehrlich tumor-bearing mice treated with Copaifera multijuga extract

“…As early as 1587, the Portuguese explorer and naturalist Gabriel Soares de Sousa described the use of copaiba oleoresin for healing arrow wounds [2]. Nowadays, copaiba is used in medicine owing to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, leishmanicidal, antitumor, and analgesic properties [1][2][3][4][5][7][8][9].…”

“…The most abundant species are Copaifera multijuga Hayne, Copaifera reticulata, and Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. [5][6][7].…”

“…It is a transparent and colored exudate obtained from the trunks of the trees, with variable viscosity, and consisting of a nonvolatile fraction of diterpenes (20%) and a volatile fraction of sesquiterpenes (80%) [2,[5][6][7]. Copaiba oleoresin chemical profile may vary according to species, seasonal and climatic characteristics, soil type and composition, and biotic pressures, such as insect predation and pathogen infection [2,[5][6][7]. The production of oleoresin per tree ranges from 100 mL to 60 L annually; however, not all trees produce oil [6].…”