RUBIA CORDIFOLIA MEDIATED ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AND ITS ANTI-CARIOGENIC ACTIVITY

Abstract

Introduction: Indian madder, also known as Manjistha, is a perennial climbing plant native to the Indian subcontinent and certain parts of Southeast Asia. It belongs to the Rubiaceae family and is renowned for its medicinal benefits. For centuries, it has been an essential component of traditional Ayurvedic medicine, with its roots being the main focus for therapeutic purposes. Manjistha is particularly valued for its ability to purify the blood, aiding liver health, ldetoxification, and enhancing skin complexion. Moreover, it finds use in treating various conditions like skin ailments, urinary disorders, arthritis, and menstrual problems

Materials and methods:

Rubia cordifolia is powdered and aqueous extract is prepared.

The extract is combined with zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Extract is concentrated through heating until the volume reduces to 3-5 millimoles, which typically takes about 20-30 minutes. After concentration, the mixture is transferred to a centrifuge tube.

The centrifuge tube is sealed with foil and placed in a stirring machine for continuous agitation over a period of 3 days.

Results: The graph shows that zinc oxide nanoparticle showed the highest anticariogenic activity against S.mutans as compared to the other microorganisms as it had the highest zone of inhibition.  It also had significant amount of anticariogenic activity against S. aureus, E.faecalis, C.albicans.

Discussion: The focus of our research is on evaluating the anti-cariogenic potential of Rubia Cordifolia mediated ZnO NPs. We found that the synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibited significant anticariogenic activity against cariogenic microorganisms, such as Streptococcus mutans, which is a key bacterium involved in dental caries development. We also found that it exhibited anticariogenic activity against other microorganisms such as S.aureus, E.faecalis, C.albicans.

Conclusion: The research focused on investigating the potential of Rubia Cordifolia, a medicinal plant with various therapeutic properties, in synthesizing Zinc oxide nanoparticles. The study revealed promising outcomes, as the Zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibited noteworthy anti-cariogenic effects. This indicates that these nanoparticles have the capability to prevent or hinder the occurrence of dental caries, a prevalent oral health problem caused by bacterial activity and the formation of plaque.