Myrrh mixed with silver nanoparticles demonstrates superior antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis compared to myrrh and silver nanoparticles alone

Shatha Subhi ALHarthi; Munerah BinShabaib; Najla Saad AlMasoud; Heba Ahmed Shawky; Kawther F Aabed; Taghrid S Alomar; AlHanouf B AlBrekan; Afrah Jaber Alfaifi; Ayshah Abdulghani Melaibari

doi:10.1016/j.sdentj.2021.09.009

Myrrh mixed with silver nanoparticles demonstrates superior antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis compared to myrrh and silver nanoparticles alone

Saudi Dent J. 2021 Dec;33(8):890-896. doi: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2021.09.009. Epub 2021 Sep 15.

Authors

Shatha Subhi ALHarthi¹, Munerah BinShabaib¹, Najla Saad AlMasoud², Heba Ahmed Shawky¹, Kawther F Aabed³, Taghrid S Alomar², AlHanouf B AlBrekan⁴, Afrah Jaber Alfaifi⁴, Ayshah Abdulghani Melaibari⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Periodontology Division, College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdul Rahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdul Rahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Dental Intern, College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Introduction: Gingivitis is an oral condition characterized by inflammation and bleeding of the gingiva (gums), largely caused by Porphyromonas gingivalis. Oral hygiene options for controlling P. gingivalis include mouthwash containing Commiphora myrrha (myrrh), which has been shown to be effective against the microbe. Silver nanoparticles (SN) have been studied for their antibacterial effect in different oral health applications, including mouthwash. This was an in vitro laboratory study of the anti-microbial actions of myrrh and SN against P. gingivalis.

Methods: We compared the anti-microbial properties against P. gingivalis of four solutions: a) placebo solution, b) myrrh solution (MS), c) MS mixed with silver nanoparticles (MSN), and d) SN suspension alone. Sixteen agar plates were divided into four groups of four plates, and each group was treated with one of the solutions/suspensions. The solution/suspension was administered on the agar disc diffusion method, and inhibition zones (IZs) were measured after 24 (time 1), 48 (time 2), and 72 h (time 3). To characterize MSN and SN, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used. UV-Vis spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) were used to further characterize MSN.

Results: After 24 h, the median IZ for the MS plates was 16 mm, and the median IZ for MSN plates was 15 mm. At time 2, the MS median IZ was 15 mm, but the MSN median IZ increased to 18 mm, and the interquartile ranges (IQRs) did not overlap. At time 3, the median IZs was similar again, with MSN and MS having IZs of 16 mm and 15 mm, respectively. SN alone showed no anti-microbial activity.

Conclusions: Our findings show that MSN displayed superior anti-microbial activity against P. gingivalis compared to MS and SN after 48 h of incubation, but not after 24 h. Also, the increased anti-microbial activity had ceased by 72 h.

Keywords: Anti-infective agents; Commiphora; Metal nanoparticles; OxyR protein; P.Gingivalis; oral health.