Resumo

FERREIRA FILHO, Julio Cesar Campos et al. Antibacterial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. on oral bacteria. RFO UPF [online]. 2015, vol.20, n.3, pp. 313-318. ISSN 1413-4012.

Objective: To assess in vitro antibacterial activity of hydroalcoholic tinctures from leaves of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and espinheira-santa (Maytenus ilicifolia Mart.) on oral bacteria. Materials and Method: Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175), Streptococcus oralis (ATCC 10557), Streptococcus salivarius (ATCC 9758), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), and Eikenella corrodens (ATCC 23834) were the bacterial strains used in this study. The dilution of tinctures was performed, from 1:1 (pure form) up to 1:64 in 70% alcohol, which is present in the formula of phytotherapeutic tinctures. Distilled water and 70% alcohol were selected as negative controls, and 0.12% chlorhexidine as positive control. The strains were reactivated in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) agar and sowed in blood agar with BHI. Susceptibility tests were performed and samples were incubated in microaerophilia (37°C) for 48 h. The study was performed in duplicate, the halos were measured with the aid of a manual caliper, and scores were recorded as mean. Results: The positive control showed inhibition halos ranging from 15 to 19 mm, the Maytenus ilicifolia tincture did not show antibacterial activity on the organisms tested in this study, and the Rosmarinus officinalis L. tincture obtained inhibition halos of up to 1:16 in S. mutans (7 mm) and 1:8 in E. faecalis (7 mm). Conclusion: Rosemary tincture showed antibacterial activity on Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis strains, although the same was not true for espinheira-santa tincture on the strains tested in the study.

Palavras-chave : Microbiology; Phytotherapy; Anti-Bacterial Agen.