Antimicrobial efficacy of curcumin on periodontopathic microorganisms: An In-vitro study

Abstract

Objectives: The present study was designed to analyse the effect of curcumin on certain periodontopathic pathogens in vitro. Material and Methods: 25% Curcumin was employed to analyze its Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) potential against the selected micro-organisms.Gram negative oral bacterial strains which included primary colonizers namely, Aggregatebacter actinomycetemcomitans, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sanguis and secondary colonizers which are Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotellainter media were cultured using thioglycollate growth medium under anaerobic conditions. Broth microdilution susceptibility test method was employed in order to determine the antimicrobial effectiveness of bacterial responses at growing dilutions of curcumin. After incubation in tubes, the antibacterial activity of curcumin was detected by the lack of turbidity, which indicated the inhibition of bacterial growth. Results: The curcumin MIC values were 12.6 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL, 50 µg/mL, 50 µg/mL, 0.4 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL against P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, T. forsythia, F. nucleatum, A. actinomycetemcomitans, S. sanguis and S. mitis respectively. Conclusions: Curcumin inhibited the growth of all the selected bacterial strains at growing dilutions and is therefore a potent agent against periodontal diseases. There is a need for further in vivo studies to assess the experimental observations on antibacterial effects of curcumin. Keywords: Curcumin, Mean Inhibitory Concentration, Periodontitis, Anti inflammatory, Optical Density