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Oral infections are the most prevalent diseases in man. The Rhus family has been found to have antimicrobial,
antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Few studies have been done on Rhus vulgaris Meikle. A study was
conducted to determine the effect of Rhus vulgaris Meikle stem bark extracts against selected oral pathogenic
microorganisms and the safety of the extracts in vitro and in vivo.
Methods: Methanol:dichloromethane (1:1), methanol and aqueous extracts were tested for bacteriostatic and bactericidal
effects against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans and
Candida albicans. Cytotoxicity of the active extracts was determined using Vero E6 cell lines while safety was evaluated in
mice and rats. Phytochemical screening was performed on the methanol extracts. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple
comparisons tests were performed using IBM SPSS statistics 20.0 for antimicrobial assay and acute toxicity testing. Oneway
ANOVA and Dunnett’s multiple comparison tests were conducted using GraphPad Prism 8.0 for cytotoxicity assay.
Results: Methanol extract of Rhus vulgaris showed significant antimicrobial activity against MRSA (12.00 ± 0.00 mm; pvalue
of < 0.005; Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of 0.391mg/ml; Minimum Bactericidal Concentration of 1.563 mg/ml).
The extract were not cytotoxic at 100 μg/ml which was the highest tested concentration. In acute dermal irritation
testing, the methanol extract resulted in mild irritation with erythema and flaking that cleared within 8 days. There were
no observable adverse effects from oral administration of the extracts (acute oral toxicity testing) at concentrations of 50
mg/kg, 300 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg. Tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, alkaloids and phenols were
detected in the methanol extract.
Conclusions: Antimicrobial activity of R. vulgaris extracts supports its traditional use as a toothbrush. Cytotoxicity
demonstrated by the extracts as well as the mild skin irritation warrants further study before R. vulgaris can be
recommended for the development of effective and safe mouthwashes. |
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