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. 2020 May 24;20(1):156.
doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-02953-0.

Antimicrobial effects of mustard oil-containing plants against oral pathogens: an in vitro study

Vanessa Eichel  1 , Anne Schüller  2 , Klaus Biehler  2 , Ali Al-Ahmad  3 , Uwe Frank  4   2
Affiliations

Antimicrobial effects of mustard oil-containing plants against oral pathogens: an in vitro study

Vanessa Eichel et al. BMC Complement Med Ther. .

Abstract

Background: The present study examines the antimicrobial activity of nasturtium herb (Tropaeoli maji herba) and horseradish root (Armoraciae rusticanae radix) against clinically important oral bacterial pathogens involved in periodontitis, gingivitis, pulpitis, implantitis and other infectious diseases.

Methods: A total of 15 oral pathogens, including members of the genera Campylobacter, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Parvimonas, Porphyromonas, Tanerella, Veillonella, and HACEK organisms, were exposed to [1] a combination of herbal nasturtium and horseradish using a standardized gas test and [2] a mixture of synthetic Isothiocyantes (ITCs) using an agardilution test. Headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry was employed to quantify the amount of allyl-, benzyl-, and 2- phenyl- ethyl-ITC.

Results: With exception of Veillonella parvula, all tested species were highly susceptible to herbal nasturtium and horseradish in the gas test with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 50/20 mg and 200/80 mg and to synthetic ITCs in the agardilution with MICs between 0.0025 and 0.08 mg ITC/mL, respectively. Minimal bactericidal concentrations extended from 0.005 mg ITC/mL to 0.34 mg ITC/mL.

Conclusions: ITCs may be considered an interesting alternative to antibiotics for prevention and treatment of oropharyngeal infections, periodontitis and related diseases. Furthermore, the suitability of ITCs for endocarditis prophylaxis in dental procedures might be worth further investigation.

Keywords: Endocarditis prophylaxis; Horseradish; Isothiocyanates; Mustard oils; Nasturtium; Periodontitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Opened apparatus for gas test experiments
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
GC-MS defined ITC amounts in Nasturtium and Horseradish; AITC: allyl– ITC; BITC: benzyl– ITC, 2PEITC: 2- phenyl- ethyl– ITC; n = 3
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
blue: MIC values of TR/AR in gas tests (right scale); orange, red: MIC and MBC values of synthetic isothiocyanates in agardilution tests (left scale); >: maximum test concentration reached; n = 2
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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