Comparative evaluation of biofilm suppression by plant extracts on oral pathogenic bacteria

Article history: Received on: 14/01/2014 Revised on: 30/01/2014 Accepted on: 06/03/2014 Available online: 30/03/2014 Microbial colonization as biofilm is one of the reasons for the emergence of drug resistant strains. In the oral cavity, drug resistant strains limit the efficacy of oral hygiene practices. Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus have been reported as drug resistant bacteria and producing oral biofilms in oral cavity. In this study we demonstrate the efficacy of aqueous extract of Azadirachta indica, Mangifera indica, Piper betel and Pepper nigrum for antibiofilm activity against E. faecalis and S. aureus. The aqueous extracts were obtained by cold percolation method. The antibiofilm activity of plants extract was evaluated at 30, 15 and 7.5 mg/ml concentration. The percentage yield of extract was maximum in P. nigrum. The aqueous extract of A. indica significantly suppressed E. faecalis and S. aureus biofilm at 7.5 mg/ml at p<0.01 and p<0.001 significance level. P. betel significantly (p<0.001) disintegrated the E. faecalis biofilm at 30 mg/ml and S. aureus at 15 mg/ml (p<0.01). P. nigrum disintegrated E. faecalis and S. aureus biofilm significantly (p<0.05 and p<0.001) at 30 and 15 mg/ml respectively. M. indica significantly (p<0.05) suppressed S. aureus biofilm at 30 mg/ml. These results clearly demonstrate the antibiofilm activity of plants extract against oral pathogens.