title: Screening and Scoring of Antimicrobial and Biological Activities of Italian Vulnerary Plants against Major Oral Pathogenic Bacteria.
abstract: This study aims to evaluate the activity of Italian vulnerary plants against the most important oral pathogenic bacteria. This estimate was accomplished through a fivefold process: (a) a review of ethnobotanical and microbiological data concerning the Italian vulnerary plants; (b) the development of a scoring system to rank the plants; (c) the comparative assessment of microbiological properties; (d) the assessment of potential cytotoxic effects on keratinocyte-like cells and gingival fibroblasts in culture by XTT cell viability assay; (e) clinical evaluation of the most suitable plant extract as antibacterial agent in a home-made mouthwash. The study assays hexane (H), ethanol (E), and water (W) extracts from 72 plants. The agar diffusion method was used to evaluate the activity against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus casei, and Actinomyces viscosus. Twenty-two plants showed appreciable activity. The extracts showing the strongest antibacterial power were those from Cotinus coggygria Scop., Equisetum hyemale L., Helichrysum litoreum Guss, Juniperus communis L., and Phyllitis scolopendrium (L.) Newman subsp. scolopendrium. The potential cytotoxic effect of these extracts was assessed. On the basis of these observations, a mouth-rinse containing the ethanolic extract of H. litoreum has been tested in vivo, resulting in reduction of the salivary concentration of S. mutans.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Neuroscienze e Scienze Riproduttive ed Odontostomatologiche, Zona Ospedaliera, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianmaria F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Ferrazzano
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roberto
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiaviello
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Natale
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roscetto
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pollio
authors.forename: Aniello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ingenito
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palumbo