Antimicrobial Activity of Simarouba glauca Leaf Extracts Against Oral Pathogens − An In Vitro Study

Introduction: Oral diseases caused by biofilm continue to be a public health concern worldwide. The interesting task is to “battle” against oral biofilms, chiefly due to their propensity to persist even after mechanical removal. Mechanical oral hygiene measures, along with professional maintenance and usage of fluorides, are conservative practices to prevent oral biofilm. Adjunct to mechanical plaque control method, antimicrobial mouth wash is suggested. Although chlorhexidine is a gold standard antiplaque agent, its potential drawbacks on long-term use necessitates the development of a novel, alternate strategy that can inhibit oral biofilm. Materials and Methods: Simarouba glauca (SG) leaf extracts were prepared by maceration and Soxhlet methods. Zone of inhibition (ZOI) and Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were conducted against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacilli acidophilus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Prophyromonas gingivalis to determine the antimicrobial activity of leaf extracts of SG using agar well diffusion and broth dilution method. Results: ZOI was exhibited by ethanol extract (ESG) on S. mutans (25 ± 0.03 mm) and L. acidophilus (23 ± 0.07 mm) at 1 mg/mL while ZOI was exhibited by aqueous extract (ASG) on E. coli (14 ± 0.00 mm) and S. aureus (15 ± 0.01 mm) at 1.5 mg/mL. Both ESG and ASG did not show activity on P. gingivalis. MIC was obtained at 0.625 mg/mL for S. mutans, 0.312 mg/mL for L. acidophilus, 1.25 mg/mL for S. aureus, 0.625 mg/mL for E. coli, and P. gingivalis did not show inhibitory effect. Conclusion: The in vitro studies on antimicrobial activity showed antimicrobial activity of SG plant extract on oral microorganisms. This could be because of secondary metabolites like flavonoids, phenolics, etc.