title: Hyptis pectinata essential oil: chemical composition and anti-Streptococcus mutans activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-Streptococcus mutans activity of Hyptis pectinata essential oil, and present its promising potential against oral diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  The essential oil of H. pectinata was obtained by hydrodistillation from dried leaves and analyzed by GC / MS. The effectiveness of this essential oil regarding the antimicrobial activity against several S. mutans strains was investigated by the agar diffusion and microdilution methods, and chlorohexidine was used as a standard control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The H. pectinata essential oil exhibited considerable inhibitory effect against either all the clinical isolates obtained from patients' saliva or the ATCC strains tested, with minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of 200 microg ml(-1). The study also compared the efficiency of the emulsifying agents Tween 20, Tween 80, dimethyl sulfoxide and propylene glycol in H. pectinata essential oil when tested against S. mutans. The data obtained confirmed the better inhibitory effect of the oil when using all tested diluents, although Tween 80 seemed to be more suitable for emulsification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our results, H. pectinata essential oil can be considered a promising alternative to chlorhexidine for the control of oral bacteria-related diseases and hygiene.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, CCBS, Laboratório de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: P F C
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.forename: A L C
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Arrigoni-Blank
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: de Jesus
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Azevedo
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bolognese
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Trindade
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000494:pharmacology; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D045703:Emulsifying Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005079:Excipients / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D031331:Hyptis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D011136:Polysorbates / Q000494:pharmacology; D019946:Propylene Glycol / Q000494:pharmacology; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D012997:Solvents / Q000494:pharmacology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D045703:Emulsifying Agents; D005079:Excipients; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011136:Polysorbates; D012997:Solvents; D019946:Propylene Glycol; D002710:Chlorhexidine; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide