Evaluation of Zingiber officinale Rosc. and Ocimum basilicum L. Essential Oils-Loaded Gel Base for the Treatment of Oral Candidiasis
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Date
2020-10
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Publisher
Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research
Abstract
Oral candidiasis is an opportunistic infection that affects the oral cavity and could worsen the severity of an underlying disease. This research is focused on the formulation of an oral herbal gel from essential oils of Zingiber officinale Rosc. (ZO) and Ocimum basilicum L. (OB) for the potential use in the management of oral candidiasis. Antifungal activities of the oil extracts were evaluated against ten clinical isolates of Candida albicans using the agar well diffusion method and measurement of minimum inhibitory/fungicidal concentration (MIC/MFC). The oils were tested individually and subsequently combined at predetermined ratios. The oils were formulated into carbopol-based gels, the antifungal activity and physico-chemical properties of the gels were assessed. Nystatin was used as a positive control. Sensitivity test showed that Candida albicans isolates were sensitive to each of the essential oil extracts at a concentration of 10%v/v. The essential oil extracts combination of 25:75 (ZO:OB) yielded the highest zones of inhibition which ranged from 28.00 ± 0.65 to 39.00 ± 1.45 mm. The results were higher than that obtained for the nystatin control (26.00 ± 1.20 to 30.00 ± 1.05 mm). Five batches of gels incorporated with the essential oils exhibited good physicochemical characteristics. However, the herbal gels exhibited lower antifungal activity than the essential oils against Candida albicans isolates. These outcomes demonstrate the antifungal activity of the herbal gels and thus its potential for use in the management of oral candidiasis.
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Keywords
Zingiber officinale, Ocimum basilicum, Carbopol gels, Antifungal activity, Dental care, Oral candidiasis