• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.55-61
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• 2015

Objectives : Yongdamgosam-hwan(YGH) has been used as a traditional medicine from old times for antiinflammatory effects. Streptococcus mutans(S. mutans) is known as a prime bacteria responsible for causing caries by forming a biofilm referred to as dental plaque on the tooth surface. But antimicrobial activity of YGH with dental disease is not sufficiently understood. This study was designed to investigate the effects of YGH ethanol extract on antimicrobial effect against Streptococcus mutans.Methods : The antimicrobial effect of YGH ethanol extract was assessed by the paper disk diffusion method and optical density method to determine minimum inhibition concentration(MIC), also observed by fractional inhibitory concentration index(FICI) and time-kill assay to figure out the synergic effect on the combination of YGH ethanol extract with antibiotics.Results : The YGH ethanol extract 500 μg was 7.5-8.5 mm diameter of clear zone of inhibition against Streptococcus mutans in a concentration-dependent manner and MIC was 250 μg/mL. The administration of the ethanol extract in combination with gentamicin and streptomycin induced a reduction of ≥4-8-fold in all tested bacteria. Furthermore, time-kill study was found that a combination of YGH ethanol extract with oxacillin and streptomycin produced a more rapid decrease in the concentration of bacteria CFU/mL than the YGH ethanol extract or antibiotics alone.Conclusions : As a result, the YGH ethanol extract has good antimicrobial effects. And the results suggest that YGH could be employed as a natural antibacterial agent in dental care products.