Hidden Secrets of ‘Punica Granatum’ Use and Its Effects on Oral Health: A Short Review

The interest in evaluating therapeutic effects of plants has increased dramatically with more and more people inclining toward alternative medicine for their health care needs as theyare effective, nontoxic, economical and usually have no sideeffects. Pomegranate is one such fruit/ plant which is beneficial with added effect on oral health. This plant source of polyphenols has antioxidant properties, meaning they help protect cells from damage and may lower the inflammation in the body. Apart from this various other components of the pomegranate plant such as flowers are rich source flavonoids. Peel extracts have been demonstrated to have antibacterial and antifungal activity due to the presence of hydrolysable tannins and polyphenols. The stem part is known to have astringent and antihelminthic properties and the leaves have been used for conjunctivitis. Thus, the purpose of this review is to summarize the therapeutic benefits of various extracts derived from the pomegranate plant and its benefits on oral health

Comparative evaluation of inhibitory effect of curcumin and doxycycline on matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity in chronic periodontitis

Background and Objectives: The pathogenesis of inflammatory periodontal diseases essentially involves degradation of extracellular matrix molecules, and collagen breakdown and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteinases primarily involved in this process. It is known that doxycycline downregulates MMP activity. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory effect and also downregulates MMP activity. Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin by its inhibition of MMP-9 activity and compare the same with doxcycline, which has known anticollagenase activity. Subjects and Methods: Gingival tissue samples were obtained from thirty patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. The tissue extracts were treated with Curcumin and doxycycline and inhibition of MMP-9 analyzed by gelatinzymography. Gels obtained were stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue, and enzymatic activities detected as bands of gelatinlysis against blue background. Relative MMP-9 levels were measured by scanning the clear zones and analyzing the percentage inhibition. Results: Results showed that MMP-9 activity was significantly decreased by both the drugs. Curcumin showed 61.01% reduction in the MMP-9 activity at 1500 μg/ml concentration and doxycycline showed 59.58% reduction in the MMP-9 activity at 300 μg/ml concentration. Conclusion: The current study showed that curcumin has inhibitory effect on polymorphonuclear leukocyte-type MMP-9 involved in matrix degradation in periodontitis. Since Curcumin has a potent anti-inflammatory effect, it may have therapeutic potential as a host modulation agent in periodontal diseases