Phyto-pharmacological investigation of algae Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty ex Silva for oral diseases (Rhodophyta)

Oral infections (gingivitis and periodontitis) and oral cancer are under rise in developing countries. Products with antibacterial and antioxidant activity can provide a combined approach to treat oral disorders. Marine algae is a reservoir of rich bioactive phytochemicals and are considered to be potential candidates in natural pharmaceutics. Kappaphycus alvarezii is a marine algae widely cultivated for food applications. The current study investigates the phyto-pharmacological properties of K. alvarezii for oral diseases. Different polarity solvents (ethanol, ethyl acetate and chloroform) were used in the extraction of bioactive components of K. alvarezii, partially characterized by GCMS and studied for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity. All the K. alvarezii extracts exhibited good antioxidant activity and potential efficacy against oral pathogenic microbes. Although K. alvarezii extracts were found to be safe for normal Vero cells, their inhibitory activity on oral cancer cells (KB-3-1 cell lines) was found to be low. These findings have suggested the possibility of K. alvarezii using in the dental preparation/product to combat oral infections.