Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Activities and Formulation Studies on the Leaf Extracts of <i>Psidium gaujava</i> L.

Abstract

Herbal therapy has been used for daily oral health care to prevent, treat or cure oral conditions from halitosis to periodontal disease. In the present study, Psidium guajava L. leaf which is used traditionally for oral diseases was evaluated for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities and then formulated with subsequent activity testing. The antimicrobial activity tests indicated that the acetone and methanol fractions exhibited relatively stronger activities against the commonly encountered bacterial and fungal pathogens than the other solvent fractions. Besides, the 80% methanol extract of P. guajava leaves inhibited the growth of the test microorganisms with minimum concentrations ranging from 0.65 - 5 mg/ml. Candida species were the least sensitive while S. pneumonia and S. aureus clinical isolates were the most sensitive microbes. The crude extract of P. guajava leaves at the dose levels of 300 and 500 mg/ml significantly decreased carrageenan-induced paw oedema for 5 h after administration of the extract (p <0.001). The performance profiles of the oral gel and mouth wash formulations of the total extract (10% w/w) of P. guajava were also evaluated. Both gels and mouth wash formulations were active against all test microbes. The antifungal activities of the formulated oral gels were better than the commercially available oral gel product, Daktarin.

Keywords: Psidium guajava L., antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, oral gels, mouthwash