The Effects of the Supercritical Extracts of Momordica charantia Linn., Pistacia lentiscus, and Commiphora myrrha on Oral Inflammation and Oral Cancer

Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) gum and oral health: a state-of-the-art review of the literature

The aim of this state-of-the-art review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the various therapeutic effects of Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) gum on oral health. The search of the literature was conducted across thirteen databases for relevant publications published through May 2022 in English, Arabic, or Greek using a combination of keywords and phrases. Out of 246 papers, the search procedure identified 14 papers for inclusion. Mastic gum displayed antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and inhibited plaque accumulation, constituting a beneficial adjuvant in caries prevention. In the treatment and prevention of periodontal diseases, Pistacia lentiscus essential oil provided effective antibacterial activity against a variety of periodontal bacteria as well as anti-inflammatory properties. For oral cancer, several clinical trials revealed interesting results against cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and regulation of intracellular signaling pathways. This indicates the potential of Mastic gum to serve as a preventive and therapeutic agent for oral mucosa inflammation and oral cancer. No notable toxic or side effects were reported in the clinical trials reviewed. This review highlights the various beneficial effects of Mastic gum in the prevention and potential treatment of oral diseases. Further research targeting Pistacia lentiscus products is required in order to validate and utilize these products to prevent and to treat oral health diseases.

Formulation and Development of Bioadhesive Oral Films Containing Usnea barbata (L.) F.H.Wigg Dry Ethanol Extract (F-UBE-HPC) with Antimicrobial and Anticancer Properties for Potential Use in Oral Cancer Complementary Therapy

Medical research explores plant extracts’ properties to obtain potential anticancer drugs. The present study aims to formulate, develop, and characterize the bioadhesive oral films containing Usnea barbata (L.) dry ethanol extract (F-UBE-HPC) and to investigate their anticancer potential for possible use in oral cancer therapy. The physicochemical and morphological properties of the bioadhesive oral films were analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and X-ray diffraction techniques. Pharmacotechnical evaluation (consisting of the measurement of the specific parameters: weight uniformity, thickness, folding endurance, tensile strength, elongation, moisture content, pH, disintegration time, swelling rate, and ex vivo mucoadhesion time) completed the bioadhesive films’ analysis. Next, oxidative stress, caspase 3/7 activity, nuclear condensation, lysosomal activity, and DNA synthesis induced by F-UBE-HPC in normal blood cell cultures and oral epithelial squamous cell carcinoma (CLS-354) cell line and its influence on both cell types’ division and proliferation was evaluated. The results reveal that each F-UBE-HPC contains 0.330 mg dry extract with a usnic acid (UA) content of 0.036 mg. The bioadhesive oral films are thin (0.093 ± 0.002 mm), reveal a neutral pH (7.10 ± 0.02), a disintegration time of 118 ± 3.16 s, an ex vivo bioadhesion time of 98 ± 3.58 min, and show a swelling ratio after 6 h of 289 ± 5.82%, being suitable for application on the oral mucosa. They displayed in vitro anticancer activity on CLS-354 tumor cells. By considerably increasing cellular oxidative stress and caspase 3/7 activity, they triggered apoptotic processes in oral cancer cells, inducing high levels of nuclear condensation and lysosomal activity, cell cycle arrest in G0/G1, and blocking DNA synthesis. All these properties lead to considering the UBE-loaded bioadhesive oral films suitable for potential application as a complementary therapy in oral cancer.