Antimicrobial activity of extract and fractions from Drynaria fortunei against oral bacteria

Abstract

One of the traditional Korean medicine, Drynaria fortunei (D. fortunei) is one of candidates known to be effective for the treatment of inflammation, hyperlipemia, arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, and gynecological diseases such as osteoporosis and bone resorption. The present study investigated the antimicrobial activity of methanol (MeOH) extract and n-butanol (n-BuOH), chloroform (CHCl3), and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fractions of D. fortunei against oral bacteria. The n-BuOH and CHCl3 fractions (MICs, 0.0078 to 0.3125 mg/ml; MBCs, 0.019 to 0.625 mg/ml) were demonstrated as strong antibacterial activity than the MeOH extract and EtOAc fraction. The combination effects of n-BuOH fraction with ampicillin or gentamicin were synergistic against some oral bacteria. We suggest that D. fortunei could be employed as a natural antibacterial agent in oral care products.