No abstract

Abstract-Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is the purest form of coconut oil, essentially water-clear or colourless that consists mainly of medium chain saturated fatty acids. For over many decades, the biological properties of VCO have been widely explored and investigated due to their antimicrobial potentials. The large concentration of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) including lauric acid (LA) and its monoglyceride form, monolaurin makes VCO effective in their mode of actions against pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, VCO could be used as a daily supplement or an alternative remedy against microbial infections. We review and discuss the current state of knowledge of VCO studies and focus on its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities aiming to unravel the underlying mechanisms of VCO inhibition of these pathogenic microorganisms.

Introduction: Eurycoma longifolia jack (E.L) is a herbal medicinal plant of SouthEast Asian origin, popularly recognized as 'Tongkat Ali.' The plant roots have been scientifically proven to have many biological effects including antibacterial activity however, no previous research to date has studied the effect on oral pathogens including cariogenic bacteria. This study was done to determine the antibacterial and antifungal activities of E.L. root extract against three common oral pathogens. Material and Methods: The microorganisms used were Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei. E.L root was extracted using soxhlet method. Disc diffusion assay was conducted using extract concentration of 200 mg/ml. Nystatin and Ampicillin were used as positive control for fungal and bacterial tests respectively. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was done to determine the lowest inhibitory concentration of the extract on the microorganisms. Results: E.L extract inhibited the growth of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans at a concentration of 200 mg/ ml with a zone of inhibition of 16.0 ± 3.0 mm and 7.0 ± 1.0 mm respectively. There was no antimicrobial effect of the extract on Lactobacillus casei. The MIC of E.L extract against both Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans was 25 mg/ml. Conclusions: The results from this study revealed the potential use of Eurycoma longifolia jack as an antimicrobial agent which can be used to produce new oral care products.

No abstract

No abstract