Chitosan-based polyherbal toothpaste: As novel oral hygiene product.

Objective: The objective of the present work was to develop chitosan-based polyherbal toothpaste and evaluate its plaque-reducing potential and efficacy in reduction of dental pathogens. Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial activity of herbal extracts against dental pathogens were performed by using disk diffusion method. The pharmaceutical evaluation of toothpaste was carried out as per the US Government Tooth Paste Specifications. A 4-week clinical study was conducted in patients with oro-dental problems to evaluate the plaque removing efficacy of chitosan-based polyherbal toothpaste with commercially available chlorhexidine gluconate (0.2% w/v) mouthwash as positive control. Total microbial count was carried out to determine the percentage decrease in the oral bacterial count over the period of treatment. Result: Herbal extracts were found to possess satisfactory antimicrobial activity against most of the dental pathogens. Chitosan-containing polyherbal toothpaste significantly reduces the plaque index by 70.47% and bacterial count by 85.29%, and thus fulfills the majority of esthetic and medicinal requirements of oral hygiene products. Conclusion: Chitosan-based polyherbal toothpaste proves itself as a promising novel oral hygiene product as compared with currently available oral hygiene products. A further study to confirm the exact mechanism and active constituents behind antiplaque and antimicrobial activity of chitosan-based polyherbal toothpaste and its efficacy in large number of patient population is on high demand.

Antibacterial effects of Carica papaya fruit on common wound organisms

The purpose of the study was to investigate antibacterial activity of ripe and unripe Carica papaya on selected micro-organisms. Cultures of micro-organisms were routinely maintained in nutrient agar slants at 4 degrees C. Extracts of immature, mature and ripe Carica papaya fruit were obtained by separately grinding factions of the epicarp, endocarp and seeds and filtering them through gauze. Sensitivity tests were conducted by adding 0.06 ml of extract to agar wells (6 mm diameter) prepared from 20 ml agar seeded with 10(6) cells/ml suspension of one of the eight organisms per plate. The inoculated plates were allowed to equilibrate at 4 degrees C for 1 hour, incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 hours, and zones of inhibition measured in millimetres. Anti-bacterial activity was expressed in terms of the radius of zone of inhibition. Seed extracts from the fruit showed inhibition in the following order: B cereus > E coli > S faecalis > S aureus > P vulgaris > S flexneri. No significant difference was found in bacterial sensitivity between immature, mature and ripe fruits. No inhibition zone was produced by epicarp and endocarp extracts. Carica papaya seeds contain anti-bacterial activity that inhibits growth of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. Observed activity was independent of stage of fruit maturity. Carica papaya has antibacterial effects that could be useful in treating chronic skin ulcers to promote healing

Neem [Azadirachta indica] extract as antimicrobial agent against bacteria Proteus vulgaris and fungi Candida albicans

Aqueous neem extract, prepared from the neem [Azadirachta indica] bark, was tested against the strain of bacteria Proteus vulgaris and fungi Candida albicans, to examine its efficacy as an antimicrobial activity. The growth inhibitory property of the aqueous extract has been noticed and recorded in terms of zone of inhibition measured in the 24 hrs growth culture using disc plate techniques

R-factor in Proteus vulgaris from ulcerative disease of fish, Channa punctatus.

A Proteus vulgaris isolated from external ulcers of the fresh water fish Channa punctatus showed multidrug resistance and heavy metal tolerance. The isolate from the ulcer showed resistance to chloramphenicol (Ch), nalidixic acid (Nx), streptomycin (Str) and tetracycline (Tet) with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 750, 150, 75 and 125 microg/ml, respectively. The isolate showed growth in medium containing cadmium (Cd2+), up to a concentration of 2.5 mM indicating its heavy metal tolerance. Resistance to Ch, Str, Tet and Cd2+ of the isolate was lost after plasmid curing. Presence of plasmid DNA in the wild type and its absence in the cured P. vulgaris suggested that the resistance were plasmid mediated.