Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of <em>Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora</em> against some oral microbes

Abstract

The accumulation of free radicals is the root cause of many dangerous diseases. Several studies are being conducted to identify plant-based natural antioxidants and antimicrobial elements. Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiulcer, antiviral, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antimicrobial, anticancer, wound-healing, etc. This research aimed to determine the in vitro antioxidant activity of essential oils extracted from the leaves and seeds of Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora by hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl radical, and azino-bis (3-ethylbenthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. The antibacterial activity of essential oils extracted from leaves and seeds of Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora was evaluated by the disc diffusion method against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter, S. epidermis, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, E. faecalis, and P. mirabilis. According to the findings, the hydroxyl radical (HO•) scavenging assay method revealed more potent antioxidant activity in Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora essential oils than in other methods. The hydroxyl radical scavenging assay was found to have IC50 values of 115.20 ± 6.45 and 128.35 ± 6.20 for seeds and leaves, respectively. Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora essential oils exhibited a strong antibacterial effect against all the tested microorganisms. The highest antibacterial activity was measured in the essential oil extracted from seeds against P. aeruginosa (20.06±0.30) at a concentration of 50% of essential oil, and the lowest activity was observed in the essential oil extracted from leaves against P. mirabilis (7.46±0.45) at a concentration of 12.5% of essential oil. As a result, it can be a potent natural source of antioxidants to treat many stress and anxiety-related diseases and would be a better alternative for the development of new antimicrobial medications to treat a variety of infectious ailments caused by microbes.