RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Nigella sativa (NS) oil has been used as an ointment for relief from abscesses, nasal ulcers, orchitis, eczema, and swollen joints. The nutritional and biological values of wheat germ oil (WGO) are imperative points for testing its wound healing properties in traumatic ulcer. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the ability of NS versus WGO in promoting the healing of induced traumatic ulcer in albino rats clinically and histologically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out after the approval of the Research Ethics Committee (REC) of the Faculty of Dentistry, Suez Canal University, in Ismailia, Egypt, on 60 albino rats with induced labial ulcer according to calculated sample size. All animals were anaesthetized with an intraperitoneal injection of 10% ketamine. The ulcer was produced on the labial mucosa corresponding to the midline between the lower two incisors of each rat. After induction of the ulcer, rats were randomly divided into four groups according to the treatment medicament: Group A (negative control group): 15 rats which remained without treatment; Group B (positive control): 15 rats which received daily a topical application of 1 ml of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and lidocaine gel; Group C (NS group): 15 rats which received a daily topical application of 1 mm of NS oil painted by a brush covering the whole area of the ulcer; and Group D (WGO group): 15 rats which received 1 mm of WGO. The ulcers were measured using a digital caliper and were recorded using a digital camera at days 0, 3, 7, and 9, the largest (D) and smallest (d) diameters of the lesion were recorded, and the ulcer area was calculated using the following formula: A=π×D/2×d/2. Tissue samples were taken for histological examination, and the labial mucosa was dissected out and embedded in paraffin wax blocks. The blocks were cut with microtome to obtain sections of 4-5 µm thickness to be stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain and Masson's trichrome stain. All sections were examined under a light microscope, and the presence of inflammatory cells and collagen tissue remodeling were evaluated. RESULTS: Within the control group, there are statistically non-significant changes in the mean of the surface area of ulcer when comparing changes in 10 rats who survived till the seventh day and inflammatory cell count when comparing changes in five rats who were sacrificed at the seventhday. There was a significant decrease in surface area and inflammatory cell count in five rats who survived till the ninth day. Within the WGO group only, all survived rats had healed ulcer at the ninth day. There is a significant decrease in inflammatory cell count in five rats who survived till the ninth day. CONCLUSION: WGO was significantly more effective in the treatment of animal-induced ulcer compared to NS oil or CPC and lidocaine oral gel.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: To evaluate the antimicrobial effect of Egyptian propolis vs New Zealand propolis on Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli in saliva. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The strains used for the experiment were isolated from 12 patients having a high caries index. The ethanolic extract (EEP) of pure Egyptian propolis was obtained by dissolving 20 g of propolis in 70% aqueous ethanol to a final volume of 100 ml. The commercial New Zealand propolis, combined with antibacterial agents, was an ethanolic extract of propolis in lozenge form; this was dissolved in distilled water to obtain an EEP. The EEP was further fractioned using a liquid-liquid extraction technique with hexane and chloroform solvents. The antimicrobial properties of the two propolis types and their fractions on Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli were examined separately by determining minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). Twelve clinical isolates were obtained from the collected saliva of all patients, one (Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli) from each patient, for susceptibility testing. RESULTS: The MIC values of the New Zealand propolis were lower than the MIC values of the Egyptian propolis, indicating that the New Zealand propolis and hexane fractions (H-fr) in general had stronger antimicrobial effects. In addition, its antimicrobial action was greater on S. mutans than on lactobacilli, except with H-fr they were the same. CONCLUSION: The commercial New Zealand propolis hexane fraction had the strongest antimicrobial action. The EEP had a more potent antimicrobial effect on S. mutans than on lactobacilli.