preparation and evaluation of the safety (toxicity) of the licorice extract gel as an antimicrobial oral gel

Abstract

In recent years, the use of plant extracts in modern medicine has increased. The search for effective, efficient, safe and economic alternatives has led to an increase in the use of natural active substances derived from plants in the treatment of human diseases. Licorice plant is a herbal treatment with various properties that is widely used in the field of dentistry and oral diseases. Materials and methods: The licorice plant was identified by a botanist for their authenticity. After the steps of separating the extract from it, licorice extract was prepared in the form of oral gel. The prepared gel (100 µg/mL) was sterilized by gamma rays. To measure cytotoxicity, human fibroblast cells (HFFF2) were prepared from Pasteur Institute in flask form. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT method and the number of live cells was measured and compared at 24, 48 and 72 hours after the intervention. The plate containing culture medium without any substance was considered as negative control (negative control), the plate containing culture medium with dimethylsulfonamide solvent was considered as positive control (positive control) and the plate containing licorice extract gel was considered as the intervention group. For statistical analysis, two-way ANOVA test was used. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: The results showed that licorice extract gel (100 µg/mL) did not show cytotoxicity on human fibroblast cells at any time. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the cytotoxicity of licorice extract gel (100 µg/mL) between the control and intervention groups at any time of 24, 48 and 72 hours. In the case of licorice gel, the cells grew more in 24 hours than in the control group. But this difference was not significant. Conclusion: Due to the non-toxicity of licorice extract gel on human fibroblast cells at 100 µg/mL, various oral formulations can be prepared from this material to prevent or treat oral and dental diseases. It should be noted that in order to prove the better functioning of this substance, more tests are needed at animal and clinical levels.