Assessment of Antifungal Activity of Aloe Vera Toothpaste against Candida Albicans

Abstract

Herbal products have been the basis for medical therapy and are noted as a form of alternative medicine. Modern medicine also employs the use of many herbal products for therapeutic purposes. Aloe vera is a medicinal herb whose mucilaginous gel is traditionally used to treat different diseases. It consists of the active compounds which include methylchromones, flavonoids, aloesin, aloe-emodin, sterols, amino acids, aloemannan, aloin, acemannan, aloeride, naftoquinones, saponin and vitamins. Aloe vera toothpaste, consequently, has been developed by the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) to fulfill a strategy of good oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of aloe vera toothpaste against Candida albicans in vitro. Toothpaste containing 10% aqueous extract of the aloe vera leaf was prepared by TISTR. The toothpaste solution was prepared by mixing 0.66 g of toothpaste in 1 mL of sterile deionizing water. The suspensions of 107cfu/mL (equivalent to 0.5 McFarland Standard) of Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and 2 clinical isolates were prepared and added to toothpaste solution. After 50 sec, the final solution was transferred to D/E neutralizing broth and cultured at 37 °C for 24-48 h on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Sterile distilled water was used as a control. Colony forming unit (CFU) was counted after incubation. The result showed that aloe vera toothpaste had a significant inhibitory effect against tested candida species compared with a control. In conclusion, result from the present study is scientific information to prove that aloe vera toothpaste could be assigned as natural toothpaste against candida infection. With proper tooth brushing, it is a simple manner, leading to good oral care.