ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Oral infections are most frequently caused by three oral microorganisms: Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), and Candida albicans (C. albicans).
Objectives:
To evaluate antimicrobial potential of 10% ginger extract (GE) and apple vinegar against S. Mutans, E. faecalis, and C. albicans.
Materials and Method:
The GE and apple cider vinegar (ACV) were tested for microbiological evaluation to identify the inhibitory zone using the agar disk diffusion test against S. mutans, C. albicans, and E. faecalis.
Result:
The 10% ethanolic GE and ACV showed a maximum zone of inhibition zone against S. mutans, E. Faecalis, and C. albicans. The intragroup comparison was insignificant.
Conclusion:
Apple vinegar and 10% ethanolic GE were shown to have good antimicrobial properties against all three tested pathogens.
KEYWORDS: Antibacterial, antifungal, apple cider vinegar, ginger extract, inhibition zone
INTRODUCTION
Oral infections are most frequently caused by three oral microorganisms: Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), and Candida albicans (C. albicans).[1] Dental caries is a microbiological illness that destroys tooth structure irreversibly. Dental caries are commonly caused by S. mutans, one of the most prevalent bacteria. A range of antimicrobial medications were tested in an effort to prevent oral microorganisms. Apple vinegar and ginger extract (GE) are examples of natural items that have been tested for their antibacterial properties against oral microbes.[1]
A natural therapeutic herb with antibacterial properties against a variety of human infections is ginger (Zingiber officinale). The strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of ginger’s volatile constituents make it beneficial for conditions like arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease.[1]
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a fruit-based vinegar made from apples, or Malus domestica as they are formally called, that is fermented using either the conventional surface method or the submerged culture method.[2] The ACV products have a pH ranging from 2.83 to 3.21. Numerous organic acids, flavonoids, polyphenolic chemicals, vitamins, and minerals can all be found in ACV.[3] It has been demonstrated that ACV exhibits antimicrobial activity against both C. albicans and E. faecalis when compared to NaOCl.[4]
On apple vinegar and GE, there is less information is available about their antibacterial potential against oral infections. In order to investigate ginger’s antibacterial properties against S. mutans, E. faecalis, and C. albicans, the current study was conducted.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
The pharmacy college laboratory produced the 10% ethanolic GE. After filtering, powdered GE was created. To create 10% ethanolic GE, 10 gm of 10% ethanolic GE powder was dissolved in 100 ml of dimethyl sulfoxide, an inert solvent. As the test group, autoclaved ACV from the market was utilized.
The agar disk diffusion test was used to measure the zone of inhibition of GE and ACV against S. mutans, C. albicans, and E. faecalis. Using the student’s t-test, SPSS software version 23.0 was used to statistically assess the collected data.
RESULT
ACV and 10% ethanolic GE demonstrated the maximum zone of inhibition against S. mutans, C. albicans, and Enterococcus faecalis. Compared to GE, apple vinegar had a little larger inhibitory zone; nevertheless, there was no significant intragroup variation for any of the three microorganisms [Table 1].
Table 1.
Zone of inhibition for ginger extract and apple vinegar
| Microorganisms tested | Ginger extract (mm) | Apple vinegar (mm) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. mutans | 8.25±0.34 | 8.28±0.43 | 0.341 |
| C. albicans | 8.24±0.24 | 8.32±0.25 | 0.452 |
| E. faecalis | 8.46±0.56 | 8.52±0.42 | 0.124 |
DISCUSSION
Natural products have antioxidant and antibacterial qualities at the same time, making them safe and healthful. The pH range of the five ACV s made using the surface approach was 2.83–2.877, whereas the pH range of the vinegars made using the submersion method was 3.16–3.21. Compared to the surface approach, the submersion process produces commercially available ACVs in a more controlled manner.[3]
10% GE’s in vitro antibacterial activity against E. faecalis, S. mutans, and C. albicans was evaluated by Giriraju and Yunus. They came to the conclusion that GE has antibacterial activity against each of the three diseases that were the subject of the investigation.[1] The antibacterial efficacy of apple vinegar against pathogenic microbes was evaluated by Ousaaid et al.[5] They attest to apple vinegar’s value as a natural disinfectant that stops harmful bacteria from growing. Joe et al.[6] used 10% ethanolic GE and only discovered an 8 mm zone of inhibition.
The antibacterial properties of commercially available 5% ACV against Lactobacillus casei, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), and S. mutans are assessed by Chandraseharan et al.[3] They found that when tested against microorganisms, ACV had antibacterial properties. Commercially available ACV were shown to be beneficial against E. faecalis and C. albicans, whereas GE was ineffective against the two tested pathogens, according to Soorya et al.[7] El-Shamy et al. discovered that vinegar has antibacterial action against S. mutans, E. Faecalis, S. aureus, and C. albicans pathogens, which is consistent with our findings.[8]
Previous research has shown that rinsing saliva with vinegar considerably reduces the survivability of planktonic bacteria in saliva and destroys mature (24-hour) biofilms, which in turn reduces the production of new biofilms.[9] ACV’s effectiveness against E. faecalis was found by Solomon et al.[10] to be similar to sodium hypochlorite’s (5.25%).
S. mutans was investigated in this investigation to see if vinegar and GE might be used to prevent dental cavities. Since C. albicans is more frequently found in conjunction with E. falciparum when there are secondary persistent infections in cases of retreatment, both E. falciparum and C. albicans were examined. Gram-positive facultative anaerobe E. faecalis is resistant to several irrigating solutions and intracanal drugs, and it can infiltrate dentin tubules.[10]
Both the tested products showed significant inhibitory zone against S. mutans, E. faecalis, and C. albicans. Additional researches are needed to verify the result.
CONCLUSION
Apple vinegar and 10% ethanolic GE were found to have antimicrobial effect against all three pathogens in the present research.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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