Formulation, Physicochemical Characterization, and in vitro Anti-Candidal Activity of a Polyherbal Mouthwash Containing Punica granatum var. pleniflora Flower and Myrtus communis L. Leaf Extracts: A Comparison with a Commercial Herbal Rinse
| Author | Fereshteh Golfakhrabadi | en |
| Author | Hossein Heidari Kaydan | en |
| Author | Maryam Shirani | en |
| Author | Behjat Rezaee | en |
| Author | Negar Ashoori | en |
| Author | Negar Noroozi | en |
| Author | Anayatollah Salimi | en |
| Orcid | Fereshteh Golfakhrabadi [0000-0002-0606-2937] | en |
| Orcid | Hossein Heidari Kaydan [0000-0003-0497-354X] | en |
| Orcid | Maryam Shirani [0000-0002-9397-1767] | en |
| Orcid | Behjat Rezaee [0009-0009-7998-0227] | en |
| Orcid | Negar Ashoori [0000-0001-9048-8344] | en |
| Orcid | Negar Noroozi [0000-0001-6416-143X] | en |
| Orcid | Anayatollah Salimi [0000-0003-1505-7969] | en |
| Issued Date | 2026-11-30 | en |
| Abstract | Background: Oral candidiasis is a common opportunistic mycosis, and its management is complicated by the increasing prevalence of non-albicans Candida species and by azole resistance, whereas conventional chlorhexidine rinses are limited by tooth staining and dysgeusia. Flowers of Punica granatum var. pleniflora and leaves of Myrtus communis are polyphenol-rich botanicals with documented antifungal potential, providing a rational basis for a combined formulation. Objectives: We formulated a polyherbal mouthwash from the two extracts and evaluated its physicochemical properties and anticandidal activity against three clinically relevant Candida species, using a marketed herbal rinse as the comparator. Methods: Hydroethanolic extracts were prepared by maceration in 70% ethanol. Total phenolic content (TPC) was quantified using the Folin–Ciocalteu assay, with tannic acid as the standard. Minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations (MIC/MFC) were determined by broth macrodilution against C. albicans (PTCC 5027), C. krusei (PTCC 5295), and C. parapsilosis. Mouthwashes containing 1%, 2.5%, and 5% total extract were evaluated for pH and Brookfield viscosity, and zones of inhibition (ZOI) were measured using the agar well diffusion method (n = 3) alongside a vehicle control and the commercial rinse Persica™. Data were analysed using two-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD. Results: TPC reached 4626.00 ± 42.50 and 3287.00 ± 31.20 µg tannic-acid equivalents/g for pomegranate flower and myrtle leaf extracts, respectively; MIC and MFC were 50 and 100 mg/mL, respectively, for both extracts across all strains, indicating that the crude extracts were fungicidal (MFC/MIC = 2), whereas the finished 5% rinse delivers approximately 50 mg/mL of extract, that is, a concentration at the inhibitory (MIC) level rather than the fungicidal level. The 5% formulation (F-D) was near-neutral (pH 6.52 ± 0.02) and produced the largest inhibition among formulations (23.00 ± 0.82 mm against C. parapsilosis), with no significant difference compared with Persica™ against this species (P = 0.412). Formulation was the principal source of variance in inhibition (F7,48 = 1046.40, P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.99). Conclusions: The lead 5% polyherbal rinse combined a near-neutral pH maintained above the critical enamel demineralisation threshold with marked anticandidal activity, and its effect against C. parapsilosis was comparable to that of a marketed herbal comparator. These findings support the further development of this rinse as an adjunctive oral antifungal, pending cytotoxicity, stability, and clinical validation. | en |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5812/jjnpp-174379 | en |
| URI | https://brieflands.com/journals/jjnpp/articles/174379 | en |
| Keyword | Oral Candidiasis | en |
| Keyword | Mouthwashes | en |
| Keyword | Punica granatum | en |
| Keyword | Myrtus communis | en |
| Keyword | Antifungal Agents | en |
| Keyword | Tannins | en |
| Keyword | Plant Extracts | en |
| Keyword | Complementary Therapies | en |
| Publisher | Brieflands | en |
| Title | Formulation, Physicochemical Characterization, and in vitro Anti-Candidal Activity of a Polyherbal Mouthwash Containing <i>Punica granatum</i> var. pleniflora Flower and <i>Myrtus communis</i> L. Leaf Extracts: A Comparison with a Commercial Herbal Rinse | en |
| Type | Research Article | en |
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