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.

Ferula gummosa Boiss flower and leaf extracts inhibit angiogenesis in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is a vital process in development as well as in tumor metastasis. Therefore, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis may be an approach for cancer therapy. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Ferula gummosa Boiss flower and leaf extracts on angiogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell growth and cytotoxic effects of different concentrations (0-70 µg/mL) of F. gummosa Boiss flower and leaf extracts were evaluated on the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using Neutral Red assay. Then, wound healing, in vitro angiogenesis assay and quantitative VEGF gene expression analysis were conducted with the noncytotoxic concentrations of the ethanol extract. RESULTS: Our results indicated that observed HUVECs viability was higher than 60% for both extracts after 24 hours treatment at concentration of 30 µg/mL or lower, whereas cytotoxic effects were observed at higher concentrations or after 48 hours treatment. F. gummosa Boiss flower and leaf extracts inhibited migration and angiogenesis capacity in a concentration‑dependent manner (10-30 µg/mL), and down regulated VEGF transcription (20 µg/mL for flower extract and 30 µg/mL for leaf extract). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that F. gummosa Boiss flower and leaf extracts may contain antiangiogenic compounds, which could be used in preparation of new therapeutic agents for inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antiangiogenic effects of F. gummosa Boiss flower and leaf extracts and more studies are needed to identify the effective components of the extracts.