In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Sapindus mukorossi and Emblica officinalis Against Dental Caries Pathogens

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of Sapindus mukorossi and Emblica officinalis fruit extracts were studied against Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The acetone, ethanol, methanol, hot water and cold water extracts of S.mukorossi exhibited antimicrobial activity against one of the tested microorganisms i.e. S.cerevisiae. All the five extracts of E.officinalis showed inhibitory activity against S.mutans while the acetonic, hot and cold aqueous extracts showed inhibitory activity against S.aureus also. The largest zone of inhibition was obtained with the acetonic extract of S.mukorossi against S.cerevisiae (29.65mm) and hot water extract of E.officinalis against S.aureus (40.32mm). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts were also determined against the selected microorganisms showing zones of inhibition ≥8mm. This study depicts that the fruits of Sapindus mukorossi and Emblica officinalis possess very good antifungal and antibacterial activities respectively and can be used as a potential source of novel antimicrobial agents used to cure dental caries.