Bioactivity study of essential oils in oral microorganisms

• Grant number: 18/02308-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2018
• End date: August 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Social and Preventive Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Jose Francisco Hofling
• Grantee: Jose Francisco Hofling
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba (FOP). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Marcelle Marie Buso Ramos ; Natália Leal Vizoto

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants is a millenarian practice and plays an important role in the development of commercial drugs, since they are sources of bioactive principles that act in a therapeutic way in the human organism. Many plants are indicated in the literature because they show antimicrobial activities, showing a good alternative in the development of studies that look for new compounds that have antimicrobial or adjuvant action in the control of oral microorganisms. Therefore, the present research project involves a joint work of researchers in order to continue studies on the antifungal and antibacterial activity of commercial essential oils, already initiated in the FOP/UNICAMP research group. The objectives of this study are: To quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the composition of the essential oils commercially obtained by Gas Chromatography; To determine the antimicrobial activity through the broth microdilution test in the search for the minimum inhibitory concentration and microbicidal concentration of oral microorganisms (Candida spp. and Streptococcus spp.); To evaluate the effect of essential oils and isolated compounds on the Candida albicans cell through flow cytometry techniques and scanning by transmission electron microscopy; To verify the action of oils on the gene expression of hyphae formation in Candida albicans SC 5314 by the technique of RT-PCR; To analyze the action of oils on the production of hyphae in Candida albicans SC5314 quantitatively; To evaluate the effect of essential oils on unispecie and multispecies biofilms; To evaluate the presence of synergic antimicrobial effect among essential oil of Mentha spp. and the isolated compounds (carvone, mentone, pulegone and menthofuran) by the Checkerboard method; To evaluate possible cytotoxic effects of essential oils and their compounds on human epithelial cells (HaCat) by antiproliferative test. Thus, such studies may contribute to elucidate the potential and mechanisms of essential oils activity on oral potentially pathogenic microorganisms. (AU)