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. 2022 Mar 16;14(3):e23206.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.23206. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Morinda citrifolia, Nisin, and 2% Chlorhexidine Against Enterococcus faecalis: An In-Vitro Study

Sravani Nirmala  1 , Surender L R  1 , Narender Reddy  1 , Sainath D Reddy  1 , Rakesh Reddy Chukka  1 , Naresh Kumar K  1
Affiliations

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Morinda citrifolia, Nisin, and 2% Chlorhexidine Against Enterococcus faecalis: An In-Vitro Study

Sravani Nirmala et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial activity of 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (2% CHX), Morinda citrifolia (M. citrifolia), and nisin (NI) all in gel forms against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis)-infected root canals. Methodology Forty single-rooted mandibular premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were decoronated and chemomechanical preparation of the root canal was performed. After sterilization, the samples were inoculated with E. faecalis for one week and grouped according to the medicament used namely, saline as the control group (Group-A), 2% CHX (Group-B), M. citrifolia (Group-C), and NI (Group-D). After 7days of incubation, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the intracanal medicaments on the canal wall and its radicular dentin, the specimens dentin chips were retrieved and inoculated on brain heart infusion (BHI) blood agar plates from each tube and incubated at 37°C for 24 hours to obtain bacterial colony forming unit (CFU) count. The data was statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA test and multiple comparisons among different groups were complemented by post hoc Tukey test. Results The CFU count indicating the number of viable bacterial colonies was found to be highest in Group-A (saline). Group-B (CHX 2%) showed the least CFUs followed by Group-D (NI) and Group-C (M. citrifolia). Conclusion In an attempt to overcome the disadvantages and toxic effects of a few commercially available intracanal medicaments and irrigants, the present study was aimed at using herbal extracts to evaluate and compare their antimicrobial efficacy with the commercially available medicaments against E. faecalis. Nisin was an effective antimicrobial agent and its action was found to be comparable with CHX.

Keywords: 2% chlorhexidine; colony forming units; enterococcus faecalis; ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid; incubation; lantibiotic; microbiota; nisin; sodium hypochlorite.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The simple median bar diagram depicting mean comparison between experimental groups
CHX: chlorhexidine
Figure 2
Figure 2. Colony forming units in Group-A (Saline)
Figure 3
Figure 3. Colony forming units in Group-B (CHX 2%)
CHX: chlorhexidine
Figure 4
Figure 4. Colony forming units in Group-C (Morinda citrifolia)
Figure 5
Figure 5. Colony forming units in Group-D (Nisin)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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