Maslinic acid and oleanolic acid exhibit antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens

In this study, researchers from Austria, Germany, Greece, and Switzerland investigated the antimicrobial potential of five chemical components of Olea europaea and three compounds from Pistacia lentiscus. The results of their study were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Because of increasing antibiotic resistance, natural antibacterial agents are now being studied for the treatment of oral diseases caused by bacteria.
• The researchers tested five compounds from olives, namely, oleuropein, maslinic acid, hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal, and oleacein, against ten representative oral bacterial species and a Candida albicans strain.
• They also tested three compounds from the mastic tree, namely, 24Z-isomasticadienolic acid, oleanolic acid, and oleanonic aldehyde, against the same bacterial and fungal strains.
• After isolating and ensuring the quality of the compounds, the researchers performed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay.
• They found that among the compounds isolated from olives, maslinic acid was the most effective against oral streptococci and anaerobic pathogenic bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra).
• Oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal, and oleacein showed milder but still significant effects against P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum.
• Among the compounds isolated from mastic tree, oleanolic acid proved to be the most effective against nearly all of the microorganisms.
• The compounds from both olives and mastic tree were not effective against Prevotella intermedia.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that maslinic acid and oleanolic acid are effective against oral pathogens, especially streptococci and anaerobic oral microorganisms.

Read the full article at this link.

Journal Reference:

Karygianni L, Cecere M, Argyropoulou A, Hellwig E, Skaltsounis AL, Wittmer A, Tchorz JP, Al-Ahmad A. COMPOUNDS FROM OLEA EUROPAEA AND PISTACIA LENTISCUS INHIBIT ORAL MICROBIAL GROWTH. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 26 February 2019;19(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2461-4