Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of Ferula gummosa plant essential oil compared to NaOCl and CHX: a preliminary in vitro study

OBJECTIVES: The usage of medicinal plants as natural antimicrobial agents has grown in many fields including dental medicine. The aim of this in vitro study was three-fold: (i) to determine the chemical compositions of the Ferula gummosa essential oil (FGEO), (ii) to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of the oil with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX), (iii) to assess the toxic behavior of FGEO in different concentrations compared to 5% NaOCl and 0.2% CHX. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to determine the chemical compositions of the oil. The disk diffusion method and a broth micro-dilution susceptibility assay were exploited to assess the antimicrobial efficacy against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mitis, and Candida albicans. The cytocompatibility of the FGEO was assessed on L929 fibroblasts, and compared to that of NaOCl and CHX. RESULTS: Twenty-seven constituents were recognized in FGEO. The major component of the oil was beta-pinene (51.83%). All three irrigants significantly inhibited the growth of all examined microorganisms compared to the negative control group. FGEO at 50 microg/mL was effective in lower concentration against Enterococcus faecalis than 5% NaOCl and 0.2% CHX, and was also more potent than 0.2% CHX against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. FGEO was a cytocompatible solution, and had significantly lower toxicity compared to 5% NaOCl and 0.2% CHX. CONCLUSIONS: FGEO showed a promising biological potency as a root canal disinfectant. More investigations are required on the effectiveness of this oil on intracanal bacterial biofilms.

Phytochemical screening and in vitro evaluation of free radical scavenging activity of Dionysia revoluta L.

Dionysia revoluta L. a plant of Primulaceae family is used for treatment of ulcers and relieving pain in Iranian traditional system of medicine. The present study was aimed at preliminary phytochemical investigation and evaluation of antioxidant characteristics of D.revoluta L.ethanol extract and various fractions. Total phenolic content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method. Evaluation of total flavonoid was carried out by the use of an aluminium chloride/sodium carbonate colorimetric procedure. Anti lipid peroxidation effect was studied with ethanol extract. Radical scavenging properties of ethanolic extract and various fractions was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] and Nitric Oxide [NO] methods. High phenolic and flavonoid content and significant radical scavenging properties were detected for the ethyl acetate and mainly n-butanol fraction. Comparisons were made with known reference antioxidant compounds including ascorbic acid, quercetin, and gallic acid. The radical scavenging effect of n-butanol fraction approached higher degree of effectiveness among all fractions. Acid hydrolysis of this fraction led to a significant enhancement in the phenolic and flavonoid contents and interestingly in DPPH scavenging efficacy of this fraction. As declared by the results, total phenolic content showed a good correlation with radical scavenging activity. The antioxidant activity found in the ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of D. revoluta L. may be attributed to the presence of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds. Among the various chemical constituents of this plant, the concentration of flavonoids seem to prevail remarkably as indicated by the inspection of thin layer chromatograms of various fractions and their responses to diagnostic colour reactions. Based on the results obtained in the present study, this plant bears a good radical scavenging and antioxidative character and is worth of further detailed phytochemical and antioxidative studies

1-D and 2D-NMR assignments of nigricin from iris imbricata

Ethanolic crude extract of I. imbricata Lindl. [Iridaceae] was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel with varying portions of MeOH: CHCl[3]. Nigicin [irisolone] was isolated and its identification carried out by IR, UV, MS, 1-D and 2-D NMR spectroscopy

Two isoflavones from itis songarica schrenk

Two isoflavone, irilin A and irisone B were isolated from Iris songarica and their structures were determined by 1 and 2 D-NMR, IR, UV and MS. The effect of solvent on 1H-NMR spectra of irisone B have been studied

Anti - pseudomona and anti - bacilli activity of some medicinal plants of Iran

The use of plants in treatment of burns, dermatophytes, and infectious diseases is common in traditional medicine of Iran. Based on ethno pharmacological and taxonomic information, antibacterial activities of methanol extracts of some medicinal plants of Iran were determined by In Vitro bioassays using agar diffusion-method against standard strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus and B. pumilis at 20 mg/ml. From 180 plant species of 72 families, 78 species [43.3%] in 42 families [58.3%] showed antibacterial activities against B. cereus [88.4%], B. subtilis [39.7%], B. pumilis [37.1%], P. fluorescens [37.1%] and P. aeruginos [10.2%]. The most active plant families were Apiaceae, Compositae and Labiatae with 9, 8 and 7 active plant species respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentrations [MIC] of the active plants were determined using two fold serial dilutions. Most active plant against Bacilli was Myrtus communis L. with MIC of 1.87 mg/ml. For Pseudomonas species, Dianthus caryophyllus L. and Terminalia chebula [Gaertner] Retz. were more active with the MIC of 0.46 mg/ml for P. fluorescens and of 1.87 mg/ml for P. aeruginosa respectively