In vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of Anacardium occidentale and Mangifera indica in oral care

Background: Oral health is an integral and important component of general health. Infectious diseases such as caries, periodontal, and gingivitis indicate the onset of imbalance in homeostasis between oral micro biota and host. The present day medicaments used in oral health care have numerous side effects. The uses of herbal plants as an alternative have gained popularity due to side effects of antibiotics and emergence of multidrug resistant strains. Anacardium occidentale (cashew) and Mangifera indica (mango) have been used as traditional oral health care measures in India since time immemorial. Materials and Methods: The ethanol extracts of cashew and mango leaves were obtained by maceration method. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by clear zone produced by these plant extracts against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans in agar plate method, determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC), and suppression of biofilm. The cytotoxic effects of plants extract was determined by microculture tetrazolium assay on human gingival fibroblast and Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79) cell lines. Results: Cashew and mango leaf extract significantly (P < 0.05) produced larger zone of inhibition against test pathogens when compared to povidone---iodine-based mouth rinses. Although the MIC and MBC/MFC values of mouth rinses were effective in lower concentrations; plant extracts significantly (P < 0.001) suppressed the biofilms of oral pathogens. The leaf extracts were less cytotoxic (P < 0.001) compared to mouth rinses. Conclusions: Plant extracts are superior to the mouth rinses and have a promising role in future oral health care

Antimicrobial Potential of Helicanthus elastica (Desr.) Danser - A less explored Indian mistletoe Growing on Mango Trees

ABSTRACTHelicanthus elastica (Desr.) Danser (Loranthaceae) is a less-known medicinally important mistletoe species occurring in India. It is used to check abortion, and also in vesical calculi and kidney affections. There are no detailed studies reporting the antimicrobial potential of this plant. Based on the traditional use and the rich phenolic composition of the whole plant, the antimicrobial property of the alcohol extract was analyzed and the results are outlined in the present paper. For the analysis, zone of inhibition, and minimum inhibitory concentration were used, and the total activity was assayed by standard methodologies. The antimicrobial activity was studied against bacteria like Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Vibrio fischeri, and a fungus Candida albicans. Of the eight tested bacteria, the alcoholic extract of H. elastica was found to be active against K. pneumoniae, A. hydrophila, E. coli, and V. fischeri at concentration ranging from 250 to 500μg/ml. C. albicans showed inhibition only at a concentration of 2000μg/ml

Total Phenol Content and In Vitro Antioxidant Potential of Helicanthus elastica (Desr.) Danser-A Less-explored Indian Mango Mistletoe

Natural products are an important source of antioxidant molecules like tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, etc., Helicanthus elastica (Desr.) Danser (Loranthaceae) is one such plant belonging to the category of mistletoe, and grows commonly on the mango trees in India. In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess the antioxidant properties of the plant. Ethanol extract of H. elastica growing on mango tree was studied using different in vitro models. Shade-dried whole plant material was extracted with ethanol by cold percolation. Fifty milligrams of the alcohol extract of H. elastica was weighed and dissolved in 10 ml of methanol. The resultant 5 mg/ml solution was suitably diluted to obtain different concentrations. Total phenol content, reducing power assay, and scavenging of free radicals like nitric oxide, hydroxyl, hydrogen peroxide, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl were studied by standardized in vitro chemical methods using ascorbic acid as the standard. The total phenol content of the plant was found to be 1.89% w/w. The extract showed good reducing power as well as scavenging of free radicals (nitric oxide, hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and hydrogen peroxide) at concentrations ranging from 5 to 100 μg/ml. The study revealed the antioxidant potential of H. elastica

Quality standards for Hutabhugādi cūrṇa (Ayurvedic Formulary of India)

In India, herbal medicines are mainly based on the Ayurvedic system. The main drawback of traditional medicines is a lack of standardized products. Standardization of any herbal formulation is essential in order to assess the quality, purity, safety, and efficacy of drugs based on the analysis of their active properties. Testing of Ayurvedic preparations using scientific methodologies will add to quality and authenticity of the product. This article reports standardization parameters for Hutabhugādi cūrṇa (HC) used traditionally in the treatment of Agnimāndya (digestive impairment), Pāndu (anemia), Sopha (edema), and Ārsa (piles). The formulation was prepared as per Ayurvedic Formulary of India, and it was standardized by organoleptic characterization, macro–microscopic evaluation, physicochemical testing, and thin-layer chromatography/high-performance thin-layer chromatography profiling employing a standard methodology. Results of the experiments conducted provided diagnostic characteristics to identify and standardize the formulation prepared using official ingredients of HC. Based on the data obtained, a monograph on quality standards for HC is proposed. The monograph based on the present investigation results would serve as a document to control the quality of HC