Preparation and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Property and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Fenugreek Gel Against Oral Microbes: An Invitro Study

Aim Periodontal dressings play a crucial role in periodontal surgery and dental procedures. These dressings have several functions and benefits, similar to surgical wound dressings used in other surgical contexts. Periodontal dressings protect the surgical site and control bleeding in the oral cavity as they exert pressure on tissue and blood vessels. By protecting the wound and stabilizing the tissues, periodontal dressings create an environment that encourages proper and faster healing. Recently, the use of periodontal pack has reported various postoperative discomfort to the patients. This led to the development of an interest in considering fenugreek as an alternative to periodontal dressing as it possesses various antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects. Thus, fenugreek can be used as an alternative to periodontal dressing. The study aimed to prepare and evaluate the antimicrobial nature of fenugreek gel in oral microbes and the anti-inflammatory properties of gel with protein coagulation in egg albumin. Materials and methods The fenugreek gel preparation was done by grinding 100 g of fenugreek seeds into a powder and adding 100 ml of distilled water to the powder and then heating the mixture at 70°C for 30 minutes. Five milliliters of the fenugreek concentrate were added to an equal mixture of carboxymethyl cellulose and Carbopol which was mixed thoroughly to form a gel. The antimicrobial nature of fenugreek has been evaluated in various organisms such as Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans whereas the anti-inflammatory property was evaluated by protein coagulation method in egg albumin. Results The results stated that the fenugreek gel at a concentration of 100 µg/ml showed a greater zone of inhibition (5.39 ± 0.05) compared with doxycycline (1.1 ± 0.08) for a high antimicrobial potential against all oral microbes. The anti-inflammatory activity of the gel by protein coagulation method in egg albumin showed greater inhibition (67.15±1.36) at 100 µg/ml of fenugreek extract when compared with aspirin (64.43±2.93). Paired t-test was done for both the properties and the p-value was less than 0.5 stating that the difference between the groups was statistically significant. Conclusion The present study showed that the fenugreek gel possesses higher antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties when compared with doxycycline and aspirin, respectively. Hence, fenugreek gel can be used as an alternative periodontal dressing to reduce postoperative inflammation.