Dental caries is a biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic disease that results in the phasic demineralization and remineralization of dental hard tissues. Despite scientific advances in cariology, dental caries remains a severe global concern. The aim of this study was to determine the optimization of microbial and molecular techniques for the detection of cariogenic pathogens in dental caries patients, the prevalence of cariogenic bacteria on the basis of socioeconomic, climatological, and hygienic factors, and in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of selected synthetic antibiotics and herbal extracts. In this study, oral samples were collected from 900 patients for bacterial strain screening on a biochemical and molecular basis. Plant extracts, such as ginger, garlic, neem, tulsi, amla, and aloe vera, were used to check the antimicrobial activity against the isolated strains. Synthetic antimicrobial agents, such as penicillin, amoxicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, metronidazole, doxycycline, ceftazidime, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, were also used to access the antimicrobial activity. Among 900 patients, 63% were males and 37% were females, patients aged between 36 and 58 (45.7%) years were prone to disease, and the most common symptom was toothache (61%). For oral diseases, 21% used herbs, 36% used antibiotics, and 48% were self-medicated, owing to sweets consumption (60.66%) and fizzy drinks and fast food (51.56%). Staphylococcus mutans (29.11%) and Streptococcus sobrinus (28.11%) were found as the most abundant strains. Seven bacterial strains were successfully screened and predicted to be closely related to genera S. sobrinus, S. mutans, Actinomyces naeslundii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Eubacterium nodatum, Propionibacterium acidifaciens, and Treponema Pallidum. Among plant extracts, the maximum zone of inhibition was recorded by ginger (22.36 mm) and amla (20.01 mm), while among synthetic antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were most effective against all microbes. This study concluded that phyto extracts of ginger and amla were considered suitable alternatives to synthetic antibiotics to treat dental diseases.

Liver cancer is a terrifying disease with limited treatment options and is responsible for global health and economic burden. Most anticancer options have severe adverse effects, including non-specific modes of action that aggravate the challenges of exploring effective, safe, and economical therapeutic sources. The current study aimed to decipher the cytotoxicity of ethanol (ECA) and n-hexane (HCA) extracts of a potential medicinal plant Cassia angustifolia on human liver cancer (HepG2) and noncancer human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells. Cassia angustifolia extracts were investigated first to profile phytocompounds through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Varying concentrations of C. angustifolia extract (10, 50, 100, 200, and 400 µg/mL) were evaluated for cytotoxicity through the MTT assay, cell viability assay, and morphological examination using a Floid cellular imaging station. Results of GC-MS analysis identified 45 compounds in ECA and HCA extracts, from which 10 compounds were common in both extracts. Most of them are reported to have antiproliferative activity. The ECA and HCA extracts showed potent cytotoxicities (IC₅₀= 62 and 67 µg/mL) in HepG2 cells, while minimal effects on noncancer HEK-293T cells (IC₅₀= 245 and 482 µg/mL) were recorded. The viability of cancer (HepG2) cells was calculated to be 98%, 79%, 45%, 30%, and 25% for ECA and 95%, 68%, 55%, 40%, and 31% for HCA extract, respectively. Significant percent viabilities on noncancer (HEK293T) cells were observed to be 95%, 90%, 88%, 76%, and 61% with ECA extract, and 97%, 95%, 88%, 75%, and 62% with HCA extract compared to those of untreated (UT) (100%) and DMSO (100%) treated cells. Cisplatin (positive control) exhibited ˂40% and ˂38% viabilities of cancer and normal cells, respectively. Morphological examination revealed that proliferation was reduced at 100, 200, and 400 μg/mL of the ECA extract and 200 and 400 μg/mL of the HCA extract on HepG2 cells. The HEK-293T cells did not show a noticeable decrease in viability by both extracts. In conclusion, C. angustifolia extracts showed considerable anticancer activity due to bioactive phytocompounds and were comparable to cisplatin (an FDA-approved drug). After further isolation and validation, identified phytocompounds can be available as safer anticancer candidates against liver cancer.

Dental caries, a widespread oral infection affecting people worldwide, has significant societal impact due to its high prevalence. The issue of antibiotic resistance in the oral environment was investigated in rural areas in the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and biofilm development in the bacteria causing dental caries. Cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2021 and October 2022. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral habits, and clinical issues. The study included 900 individuals suspected of having dental caries, who were categorized into three groups based on their initial symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Among the patients, 61 % reported tooth discomfort only, 12 % experienced gum bleeding in addition to tooth discomfort, and 27 % had both problems. To assess the effectiveness of antibiotics and extracts against the identified pathogens, the collected samples were transferred to a microbiological laboratory. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22. A statistically significant difference was concluded when the P-value was less than 0.05. Each strain possessed unique molecular and biochemical properties, allowing for their independent utilization without reliance on other strains.