Assessment of antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of Tinospora cordifolia against Streptococcus mutans: An in vitro study

• Main Authors: Sankalp Agarwal, Priyadarshini H Ramamurthy, Bennete Fernandes, Avita Rath, Preena Sidhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Dental Research Journal
• Subjects: Antimicrobial; Streptococcus mutans; Tinospora
• Online Access: http://www.drjjournal.net/article.asp?issn=1735-3327;year=2019;volume=16;issue=1;spage=24;epage=28;aulast=Agarwal

Background: The antimicrobial property of Tinospora cordifolia has been tested against a variety of microorganisms in the literature. The present study aimed to assess the antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of commercially available T. cordifolia powder against Streptococcus mutans. Materials and Methods: An in vitro study was undertaken in which extract of T. cordifolia was obtained using 100% ethanol by maceration. Seven different concentrations were prepared and tested against S. mutans in brain–heart infusion agar medium. Plates were incubated aerobically at 37°C for 48 h, and zone of inhibition was measured using Vernier caliper. 0.2% chlorhexidine and dimethylformamide were used as positive and negative controls respectively. The data were analysed by descriptive analytic tests. Results: The maximum antibacterial activity of T. cordifolia was observed with a volume of 40 μl at 2% concentration with a zone of inhibition of 19 mm. A 30 μl volume of 0.2% chlorhexidine showed a zone of inhibition of 28 mm, and no zone of inhibition was observed with dimethylformamide. Conclusion: Tinospora exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. mutans. However, it needs to be confirmed further with in vivo studies.