Antibacterial properties in-vitro of Mexican serviceberry extracts against dental biofilm species

BACKGROUND: The Mexican serviceberry, Malacomeles denticulata, have been used as a successful oral therapy by Mexican communities without enough scientific support. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the M. denticulata extracts with selective antibacterial properties over dental biofilm bacteria. METHODS: Fruit, Leaf, and Stem of M. denticulata extracts were evaluated with micro-broth dilution method using ATCC bacteria. OD600 values had compared against each positive control (T-student-test). Anaerobically viability had confirmed by Colony-Forming-Units. Thin-Layer-Chromatography was used to identify the number of compounds and phytochemicals to identify secondary metabolites of the selected extracts. RESULTS: Streptococcus mutans showed Minimum-Bactericidal-Concentrations (MBC) at 30 mg/mL to Fruit, Leaf, and Stem extracts. Periodontal-pathogens Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans serotype b (MBC = 30 mg/mL NS); Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. nucleatum (MBC = 30 mg/mL p<0.05); Parvimonas micra (MBC = 15 mg/mL NS); Porphyromonas gingivalis (MBC = 30 mg/mL NS); and Prevotella intermedia (MBC = 3.75 mg/mL NS) presented higher sensitivity to Leaf-Methanol, than the primary colonizers. Phytochemicals showed positive results to anthraquinones, coumarins, flavonoids, saponins, saponins steroids/triterpenoids, steroids/triterpenes, and tannins/phenols. CONCLUSION: We suggest the natural extracts of fruit and leaf of the Mexican serviceberry for the preventive use over the oral cariogenic or periodontal biofilm species, by their selective antibacterial properties against pathogenic species evaluated in-vitro, and due to the presence of antibacterial secondary metabolites identified as flavonoids and saponins of M. denticulata leaf extracts.