Antimicrobial potential of mentha spp. essential oils as raw and loaded solid lipid nanoparticles against dental caries

Chlorhexidine (CHX), one of the most effective drugs administered for periodontal treatment, presents collateral effects including toxicity when used for prolonged periods; An inhibition zone test demonstrated that both bacteria were sensitive to the EO; XTT analysis and CFU counts confirmed that 10-folddiluted EO determined a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction in bacteria count and viability towards both biofilm and planktonic forms in a comparable manner to those obtained with CHX.. [...]EO exhibited bactericidal activity similar to CHX, but a superior cytocompatibility, making it a promising antiseptic alternative to CHX. Analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that the prominent components are menthol, isomenthone, limonene, isomenthanol, menthol acetate, carvone, ß-pinene, apinene, 1,8-cineole, a-terpineol, isopulegol, pulegone, piperiton, piperitone oxide, and ß-phellandrene. The MIC of the M. piperita essential oil was determined against various bacterial strains and varied from 1.13 to 2.25mg/mL; the MIC of Gram-positive bacteria (B. subtilis and S. aureus) was lower than that of Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas fluorescens).