Antimicrobial effect of herbal extract of Acacia arabica with triphala on the biofilm forming cariogenic microorganisms

Abstract

Background Dental caries is a biofilm-related infectious disease with a multifactorial etiology, over five billion inhabitants have affected worldwide due to this disease. Objective Antimicrobial efficacy of a mixed herbal powder extract (MHPE) against cariogenic microorganisms was investigated. Materials and methods MIC, MBC, kinetics of killing, biofilm disruption and anticaries effect of MHPE were determined. For biofilm disruption, biofilms of Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, Actinomyces viscosus and Candida albicans were treated with MHPE for 30 min and attached cells were quantified after staining. For live/dead staining biofilm assay, S. mutans biofilm treated with MHPE for 1min, 5min and 1 h was examined with confocal laser scanning system after live/dead staining. Efficacy was experimented by structural quality using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Anticaries effect was determined by formation of caries-like lesion in continuous flow biofilm model. Results MHPE exhibited inhibition zones ranging from 12.5 to 24.0 mm. The highest inhibition zone was recorded at concentration of 50 μg/ml. MIC for S. mutans was between 12.23 and 36.7 μg/ml, while the MBC values ranged from 36.7 to 110.65 μg/ml. Inhibitory concentration of MHPE was three fold higher than CHLX. Significant reduction of cell count (49–95%) was observed with increasing time and higher concentration. Percentage biofilm reduction compare with negative control was 96.9% ( A. viscosus) , 94% ( C. albicans) , 99.8% ( L. casei) and 91.7% ( S. mutans) . For MHPE-treated biofilm, live/dead staining demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) higher in deceased red fluorescence areas in all kinetics points from 53.6% (1min) to 85% (1h). SEM confirmed the damage in the outer layers of S. mutans. MHPE has components with effective antibacterial activity against caries-inducing microorganisms. Conclusion The anti-adherence and anti-biofilm effect as well as the faster killing activity suggests that MHPE formula has effective antibacterial activity and could be a useful source of anti-cariogenic agents in near future.

Plant-Derived Compounds: A Promising Tool for Dental Caries Prevention

“…Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 31 studies are presented and analyzed in this comprehensive review. Table 1 records the in vitro studies conducted from 2019 until 2024 [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 ], and Table 2 analyzes the in vivo, in situ, and ex vivo clinical studies available in the literature [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ]. In both tables, extensive descriptive information on the aim of the study (objectives), the type of experimental and control groups used, the methodological pattern followed, the bacterial strains chosen, and the results that emerged is present.…”

Anti-adherence and anti-bacterial activities of Pistacia atlantica resin extract against strongly adherent Streptococcus mutans strains

“…[ 4 ] Hence, to overcome and reduce such side effects, different studies have been evaluated the anti-microbial and anti-biofilm effects of various herbal extracts. [ 6 7 21 22 ] Since dental plaque formation as a biofilm initiates with the adherence of bacteria ( S. mutans ) to the pellicle and in situ growth of attached cells, finding herbal agents with the anti-adherence activity along with anti-microbial property can possess a beneficial role in preventing biofilm and caries development. Although P. atlantica species are considered the best known and one of the most appreciated medicinal plants in countries like Iran, Turkey, etc., still very few studies regarding its anti-cariogenic potential are available in literatures.…”

“…Besides, there are some well-known anti-microbial agents like chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) which is very successful in reducing the salivary mutans Streptococci count, but it is not effective as a preventive agent due to its adverse effects like teeth and tongue discoloration and bacterial resistance. [ 6 7 ]…”

Exploring the Potential of Natural Product-Based Nanomedicine for Maintaining Oral Health

“…There are increasing numbers of reports that suggest the biofilm disruption activity of herb extracts [ 28 ]. In a study by Ramalingam et al [ 29 ], mixtures of Acacia arabica and triphala extracts were tested for their biofilm disruption activity against A. viscosus , C. albicans , L. casei , and S. mutans . The results revealed that the extracts, at a concentration of 150 µg/mL, not only reduced the biofilm by 91–99% but also prevented bacterial adhesion, thus stressing that they can act as effective anti-caries agents.…”