Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Cotton Balls Incorporated With Musa paradisiaca and Chitosan: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: Antibiotics are one of the great advances in medicine. But overusing them has led to resistant bacteria (bacteria that are harder to treat). The current study foresees better non-toxic antimicrobial substances (conventional antibiotics) that insist to consider medicinal plants and animal-derived products, which have better antibiotics without any side effects. The goal of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of cotton balls incorporated with Musa paradisiaca and chitosan. Materials and methods: Musa paradisiaca, chitosan, and gentamicin-reinforced cotton balls were considered in three groups namely Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3, which tested against the strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Actinomyces israelii, Streptococcus mutans, andBacteroides fragilis. For the present study, pre-sterilized cotton balls were taken and then soaked with Banana peel extract and soluble chitosan solution at different concentrations of 500 μg/ml, 250 μg/ml, 100 μg/ml, and 50 μg/ml under aseptic conditions and were dried at 50° overnight. The same incorporation method was followed for a 10mg/ml concentration of gentamicin, which was used as a positive control group. Results: In this current study, the banana peel extract, soluble chitosan, and gentamicin exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the tested microorganisms. In the well diffusion method, at the concentration of 500 μg/ml and 250 μg/ml, chitosan and banana peel extract were comparatively better than the positive control group (gentamicin) at a higher concentration of 10 mg/ml. Conclusion: From the results of the present study, a lower concentration of the testing group (soluble chitosan and banana peel extract) exhibited a better effect when compared to a higher concentration of gentamicin. Hence, chitosan and banana peel extract impregnated cotton could be preferred for routine clinical scenarios like wounds, extractions sockets, and during any short intraoperative surgical procedures periodontal surgery, where it can provide maximal antimicrobial effects without the side effects of antibiotics.