METHODS: Ethanolic extracts were obtained from three Indonesian commercial species of Cymbopogon spp., namely Cymbopogon citratus (L.) Rendle, Cymbopogon nardus (DC.) Spatf., and Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt. The leaf, stem, and root extracts were evaluated via metabolite profiling using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In silico and in vitro analyses were used to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the Cymbopogon spp. ethanolic extracts. In addition, bioactivity was measured using cytotoxicity assays. Antioxidant assays were performed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis [3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) to determine toxicity to Huh7it-1 cells using a tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Finally, the antimicrobial activity of these extracts was evaluated against Candida albicans, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli using a well diffusion assay.
RESULTS: GC-MS analysis revealed 53 metabolites. Of these, 2,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)- phenol (27.87%), alpha-cadinol (26.76%), and 1,2-dimethoxy-4-(1-propenyl)-benzene (20.56%) were the predominant compounds. C. winterianus and C. nardus leaves exhibited the highest antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS, respectively. Contrastingly, the MTT assay showed low cytotoxicity. C. nardus leaf extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, whereas C. winterianus stem extract showed the highest activity against B. substilis. Furthermore, computational pathway analysis predicted that antimicrobial activity mechanisms were related to antioxidant activity.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that the leaves had strong antioxidant activity, whereas both the leaves and stems showed great antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, all Cymbopogon spp. ethanolic extracts showed low toxicity. These findings provide a foundation for future studies that assess the clinical safety of Cymbopogon spp. as novel drug candidates.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A PRISMA-compliant systematic search of literature was done from the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar. Literature that fulfilled eligibility criteria was identified. Data measuring plaque score and bleeding score were extracted. Qualitative and random-effects meta-analyses were conducted.
RESULTS: From 1736 titles and abstracts screened, eight articles were utilized for qualitative analysis, while five were selected for meta-analysis. The pooled effect estimates of SMD and 95% CI were -0.07 [-0.60 to 0.45] with an χ2 statistic of 0.32 (p = 0.0001), I2 = 80% as anti-plaque function and 95% CI were -2.07 [-4.05 to -0.10] with an χ2 statistic of 1.67 (p = 0.02), I2 = 82%.
CONCLUSION: S. persica chewing stick is a tool that could control plaque, comparable to a standard toothbrush. Further, it has a better anti-gingivitis effect and can be used as an alternative.