Effects of the medicinal plants Curcuma zedoaria and Camellia sinensis on halitosis control

Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) are the gases mainly responsible for halitosis (bad breath). The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of medicinal plants on halitosis control. Two commonly used plants were tested: Curcuma zedoaria and Camellia sinensis (green tea). These plants were prepared as an aqueous solution and used as mouthwashes, compared with a standard mouthwash of 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate and a placebo (water). The experiment was conducted with 30 volunteers from the School of Dentistry of São Jose dos Campos, Univ. Estadual Paulista - UNESP, SP, Brazil. Each volunteer tested the four mouthwashes. The Cysteine Challenge Method, modified for this study, was used for initial breath standardization. Four breath assessments were conducted after volunteers rinsed orally with acetylcysteine: one before the test mouthwash was used; the second, one minute after its use; a third 90 minutes later; and the last 180 minutes later. The results showed that chlorhexidine gluconate lowered VSC production immediately, and that this effect lasted up to 3 hours, while the tested plants had immediate inhibitory effects but no residual inhibitory effects on VSC. We concluded that Curcuma zedoaria and Camellia sinensis, prepared as infusions and used as mouthwashes, did not have a residual neutralizing effect on VSC.

Efeitos da Calcarea phosphorica 6CH e do alendronato na reparação da lesão óssea em ratas ovariectomizadas / Evaluation of the effects of Calcarea phosphorica 6CH compared to alendronate on bone repair in rats with hormonal deficiency

A osteoporose é uma das doenças mais prevalentes entre os idosos. Há na literatura poucos relatos sobre a ação de medicamentos homeopáticos no tratamento da osteoporose e na reparação óssea na vigência desta doença. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a ação do medicamento homeopático Calcarea phosphorica 6CH (CP) em comparação ao medicamento alopático alendronato (A) na reparação óssea em ratas ovariectomizadas. Foram utilizados quatro grupos de 30 ratas, sendo três grupos submetidos à ovariectomia (OVZ) e um à cirurgia sham. Após 60 dias foi realizada uma lesão mono cortical nas tíbias de todas as ratas e iniciados os tratamentos: I- OVZ/tratado com A (1,2 mg/ml, três vezes por semana/animal), II- OVZ/tratado com CP (2 glóbulos/1 mlágua/dia/animal), III- OVZ/tratado com água (1 ml/dia/animal) e IV- shamtratado com água (1 ml/dia/animal). Os animais (n= 6) foram sacrificados após 3, 6, 10, 17 e 28 dias da confecção da lesão óssea. As tíbias foram fixadas em formol 10%, submetidas à análise radiográfica, descalcificadas e submetidas à análise histológica/histomorfométrica. Os resultados mostraram que CP estimulou proliferação tecidual intensa com formação de calo mais volumoso que os demais grupos nas fases iniciais da reparação, no entanto este calo mostrou grande quantidade de tecido mole que foi rapidamente remodelado. A quantidade proporcional de tecido ósseo no calo variou entre os diferentes tratamentos, mas a quantidade de osso ao final do experimento foi semelhante entre os grupos. Enquanto com A formou-se inicialmente bastante osso que mostrou resistência à remodelação, com CP houve pouca formação óssea inicial, que aumentou até o final do experimento. Concluiu-se que a Calcarea phosphorica estimulou a reparação óssea por um mecanismo de ação diferente do alendronato e que o alendronato foi a melhor opção para tratar lesões ósseas sendo a Calcarea phosphorica melhor que a ausência de tratamento.

Osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent diseases in the elderly population. There are few reports in scientific literature about the efficiencyof homeopathy in the treatment of osteoporosis and in bone repair in the presence of this disease. The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of the homeopathic medicine Calcarea phosphorica 6CH (CP) compared to alendronate (A) on bone repair in ovariectomized rats. Four groups of 30 female rats were used. Three of these groups were submitted to ovariectomy (OVX) and one group had sham surgery (S). After 60 days, a 2,5mm monocortical lesion was drilled on the tibia e of allrats and treatment began according to: A- OVX/alendronate(1,2mg/ml/3times a week/rat), CP- OVX/Calcarea phosp 6CH (2globules/1ml/day/rat), O- OVX/placebo (1ml/day/rat) and S- sham/placebo(1ml/day/rat). The animals (n=6) were sacrificed 3, 6, 10, 17 and 28 days after making the bone defect. The tibia e were fixed in 10% phormolsolution, submitted to digital X ray, de calcified and submitted to histological and histomorphometric analyses. The results showed that CP stimulated intense tissue proliferation leading to the formation of a callus larger than the other groups in the initial phases of repair (10 days), but this callus showed a large amount of soft tissue that was fast remodeled.The amount of bone tissue in the callus varied among the differentt reatments but, at the end of the experimental period (28 days) all groups showed equivalent amounts. The treatment with A showed earlier bone formation, which was resistent to remodelation while with CP bone formed later, accumulated progressively and showed remodelation. It was concluded that alendronate and Calcarea phosphorica stimulated bone repair by different mechanisms of action and that alendronate was a better option of treatment of bone lesions being Calcarea phosphorica 6CH better than absence of treatment.

Enterobacteriaceae: produção de compostos sulfurados voláteis / Enterobacteriaceae: production of volate sulfur compounds

A halitose pode ser causada pelo metabolismo de algumas bactérias proteolíticas Gram-negativas que residem na cavidade bucal. Alguns estudos verificaram a produção dos compostos sulfurados voláteis (CSV) por bactérias dos gêneros Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Bacteroides, Treponema, Actinobacillus e Fusobacterium. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar in vitro a capacidade de produção de CSV por algumas espécies de bactérias da família Enterobacteriaceae. Foram estudadas 37 cepas de bacilos Gram-negativos isolados da cavidade bucal, sendo nove Enterobacter sakazakii, nove Klebsiella pneumoniae, nove Enterobacter cloacae, cinco Chryseomonasluteola e cinco Escherichia coli. De cada cepa, foram preparadas oito culturas em Caldo Infuso Cérebro-Coração (BHI), sendo três para o teste de medições com halímetro e cinco para o teste organoléptico. As medições com o halímetro foram realizadas diretamente nos tubos de ensaio e os testes organolépticos foram feitos por cinco participantes devidamente treinados, obedecendo escala com escores de O a 5. No teste de medição com o halímetro, ocorreu maior produção de CSV por cepas de E. coli, seguida por E. cloacae. Cepas de E. sakazakii, K. pneumoniae e C. luteola apresentaram baixa produção de CSV. No teste organoléptico, os escores mais altos foram atribuídos a E. coli. Concluiu-se que as espécies testadas produziram CSV, sendo E. coli a espécie com maior produção desses compostos em ambos os testes.

Halitosis is influenced by the action of proteolitic Gram-negative bacteria which live in the oral cavity. In some previous studies, the production of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) was observed by members from the gemes: Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Bacteroides, Treponema, Actinobacillus and Fusobacterium. The objective of this study was to examine VSC production by some species of the Enterobacteriaceae family. 37 strains of Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from oral cavities; nine Enterobacter sakazakii, nine Klebsiella pneumoniae, nine Enterobacter cloacae, five Chryseomonas luteola and five Escherichia coli. Eight cultures were obtained from each strain and inoculated into Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth, resulting in a total of 296 cultures. Three cultures were tested by means of a Halimeter® and five by means of organoleptic test. The Halimeter® measurements were performed directly from the open test tubes and the organoleptic measurements were determined by five odor judges by smelling the contents of the test tubes and scoring them on a scale of O to 5. The Halimeter® test showed a higher production of VSC by E. coli strains, followed by E. cloacae. However E. sakazakii, K. pneumoniae and C. luteola presented low VSC production. E. coli, produced the highest scores with the organoleptic test. In conclusion, all tested species yielded VSC, overall the specie with the highest production of these compounds in both tests was E. coli.