An In vitro Evaluation of the Efficacy of Momordica charantia as an Antimicrobial Agent on Periodontal Pathogens – A Microbiological Study

Context: Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease initiated by anaerobic periodontal pathogens making periodontal microbiota extremely complex and causing local and systemic inflammation that would lead to the destruction of periodontal tissues. Local drug delivery with herbal agent has become the most acceptable choice of treatment for nonsurgical periodontal therapy among patients. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the antimicrobial efficacy of Momordica charantia leaf extract on periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (AA), and Tannerella forsythia (TF) and to compare its efficacy with chlorhexidine. Settings and Design: This was an in vitro study design. Subjects and Methods: M. charantia leaves were authenticated from recognized taxonomist and then dried in the oven at 80°C for 48 h and then powdered. Under magnetic stirrer, 20 g of the powder was dissolved in 200 ml of ethanol for 2 h. The contents were then filtered through Whatman filter paper no. 1. Extracts so obtained were assessed for minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, and zone of inhibition of M. charantia leaf extract on periodontal pathogens and comparatively evaluated with the effectiveness against 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate in triplicates. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were evaluated using the Kruskal–Wallis test, with statistical significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The concentration of M. charantia extract against periodontal pathogens was determined to be 10 mg/ml for PG, 10 mg/ml for AA, and 8.33 mg/ml for TF. The zone of inhibition of M. charantia extract was not as wide as chlorhexidine. A statistically significant difference was found in the effectiveness between both M. charantia extract and chlorhexidine. Conclusions: The antimicrobial activity was evident in the extract of M. charantia against periodontal pathogens.