Abstract

Microorganisms play an important role in the development of periodontal diseases in human that lead to serious complications. Since ages, medicinal plants, singly or in combinations are used for the treatment of various dental disorders. However, their scientific validation and characterization is scarce. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop knowledge based poly-herbal formulation as a remedy for oral hygiene. After validations of antimicrobial potential, extracts of 11 plants were combined in different ratios, and finally one poly-herbal formulation was selected for further characterization. Antimicrobial activity was determined through disc and well diffusion assays. Further level of tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) for assessing anti-inflammatory activity and 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for safety assessment was determined. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprint profile was developed using thin layer chromatography (TLC) scanner and densitometer. The poly-herbal formulation, PHF 12-05 showed antimicrobial activity against both pathogenic bacteria and fungi with zone of inhibition ranging from 7 to 13 mm. PHF 12-05  was found to possess anti-inflammatory activity by significantly (P<0.05) reducing the level of tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α). HPTLC characterized PHF 12-05 was found to be quite stable and safe. The observations clearly indicate that PHF 12-05 holds promise in improving oral hygiene and hence help in preventing oral problems.

Key words:  Poly-herbal formulation, medicinal plants, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, oral hygiene, High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting.