Invetigating the antibacterial properties of nettle plant extract loaded in hydrogel

Abstract

Background: In recent years, the use of plant extracts in modern medicine has increased. Nettle plant is one of these medicinal plants that is widely used in the field of dentistry and oral diseases. The purpose of this study was to prepare and evaluate the hydrogel containing nettle extract and investigate its antimicrobial effect on two species of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Materials and methods: The nettle plant was purchased from an apothecary in Tabriz. Ethanol extraction of nettle plant was done. Then alginate and extract solutions were mixed in different weight ratios of alginate/extract. The formed hydrogels were stored in a refrigerator at 17°C until further characterization. The internal morphology of the hydrogels was detected by a scanning electron microscope and the existing functional groups and the intermolecular interaction between the extract and the hydrogels were identified by the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. In order to show the antibacterial property of the desired extract, the disc diffusion method was used to measure the aura of non-growth caused by the antibacterial effect of the polymer gel containing the desired extract on bacterial strains such as Streptococcus mutans and Escherichia coli. Hydrogel group without extract was also prepared for comparison. Blank discs and discs containing chlorhexidine 0.2 were used as controls. The results were reported as descriptive indices. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of units. One-way ANOVA test was used to compare between groups. SPSS version 25 software was used for data analysis. A value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results showed that hydrogel containing nettle extract had significant antimicrobial effects for both bacteria compared to hydrogel without nettle extract (P=0.0004) and (P=0.0003). Conclusion: Due to the appropriate antimicrobial property of hydrogel containing nettle extract on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria, this substance can be used in various oral formulations including gel and mouthwash to prevent or treat oral and dental diseases