Preparation of Herbal Nano-Formulation-Assisted Mouth Paint Using Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Its Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Background Mouth paint is a liquid oral care solution applied topically to the mouth, formulated to address oral health concerns like bacterial infections, inflammation, and bad breath. To improve the effectiveness of oral healthcare, nanomaterials are utilized in many dental products. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) exert their antimicrobial effects through mechanisms like producing reactive oxygen species and direct interaction with microbial cells. The current study explored the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic effects of the mouth paint prepared using TiO₂NPs using an aqueous formulation of lemongrass and dry ginger. Methods Mouthpaint prepared using TiO₂NPs synthesized using lemongrass and ginger was prepared and tested for potential applications. The antimicrobial activity of the prepared TiO₂NPs-mediated mouth paint at different concentrations (25, 50, and 100 µL) against oral pathogens (Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans) was evaluated using the Agar well diffusion method. The anti-inflammatory activity of the produced mouth paint was examined using a bovine serum albumin denaturation assay and an egg albumin denaturation assay. The cytotoxic effect of the produced mouthpaint was analyzed using a brine shrimp lethality assay. Results Green synthesized TiO₂NPs showed potent antimicrobial activity against the tested oral pathogens by exhibiting a zone of inhibition of 11 mm on Petriplate against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans at 100 μL concentration. The prepared nanoparticles-mediated mouth paint possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity by effectively preventing the denaturation of bovine serum albumin, with a 74% inhibition at a concentration of 50 μL. The egg albumin denaturation assay showed a percentage inhibition of 80% at 50 μL. At the lowest concentration of 5 μL of the prepared mouth paint, 90% of the nauplii (egg-to-larvae stage of brine shrimp) remained alive after 48 hours. Conclusion The results showed that mouthpaint prepared using titanium dioxide nanoparticles synthesized using lemongrass and dry ginger formulations possessed significant antimicrobial activity and also displayed potential anti-inflammatory activity. The prepared mouth paint also displayed less toxicity, and hence, it can be used as an alternative to the commercially available synthetic mouth paint, which has more side effects.

Keywords: biomedical applications; ginger; lemongrass; nanobiomedicine; titanium dioxide nanoparticle.

Figure 1. UV-visible spectra of C. citratus and Z. officinalis-mediated TiO2NPs

The UV-visible spectrum of the biosynthesized TiO2NPs exhibits a peak at the wavelength of 285 nm, which further preliminary confirms the presence of the nanoparticles.

Figure 2. Antimicrobial activity of TiO2 nanoparticles-mediated mouth paint

Images showing the antimicrobial activity of TiO2 nanoparticles-mediated mouth paint against four different oral pathogens (a) S. mutans (b) C. albicans (c) S. aureus (d) E. faecalis

Figure 3. Anti-inflammatory activity (a) Bovine serum albumin denaturation assay (b) Egg albumin denaturation assay.

The graph showing the anti-inflammatory activity of TiO2 nanoparticle-mediated mouth paint with BSA and EA assay

Figure 4. Cytotoxic effect of TiO2 nanoparticle-mediated mouth paint

The graph represents the cytotoxic effect of TiO2 nanoparticle-mediated mouth paint estimated by the brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA)