Antibacterial Activity of Milk Vetch Flower Honey against Four Bacteria of Human Oral Flora: Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobasillus rhamnosus and Lactobasillus plantarum
Faezeh Kgozeimeh
Oral Medicine Department, Dental School and Torabinejad Research Center, Isfahan, Iran.
Zahra Golestannejad
Dental Implant Research Center, Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Marzieh Tofighi
Dental Student's Research Center, school of dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Azadeh Ayen
Dental Student's Research Center, school of dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Mohsen Doost Mohammadi
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technologies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
Shahin Gavanji *
Young Researchers and Elite Club, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran.
Azizollah Bakhtari
Department of Animal Science, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran Animal Science, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: Milk vetch flower honey has valuable therapeutic effects, however, its antibacterial effect is not well understood. In present study, milk vetch flower honey was assessed for antibacterial activity against four bacterial species: Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobasillus rhamnosus and Lactobasillus plantarum, which are the main causes of oral cavity infection.
Methodology: Honey solutions were prepared by diluting with sterile water to the final test concentrations (9.3, 18.75, 37.5, 75, 150, 300, 600 and 1200ppm) immediately before testing. Antimicrobial activity was determined by serial dilution and the disk diffusion method.
Results: Although a honey concentration of1200 ppm strongly inhibited growth of all four bacterial species, concentrations below 37.5 ppm were more efficient as antibacterials. We determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for honey against S. mutans, L. casei, L. rhamnosus and L. plantarum were 75, 75, 100 and 100 ppm, respectively. S. mutans was the most resistance species with a zone of inhibition of 6.81 millimetres (mm) while L. casei showed significant sensitivity with a zone of inhibition of approximately 11.3 mm.
Conclusion: To conclude, the reasonable antibacterial effect of milk vetch flower honey against mentioned bacteria species indicated that this type of honey could be used as a natural antibiotic, however, it need more studies for finding its effective agents.
Keywords: Antibacterial, infection, traditional medicine.