Chitosan mouthwash: Toxicity and in vivo validation

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2014-10, Vol.111, p.385-392
• Main Authors: Costa, E.M., Silva, S., Costa, M.R., Pereira, M., Campos, D.A., Odila, J., Madureira, A.R., Cardelle-Cobas, A., Tavaria, F.K., Rodrigues, A.S., Pintado, M.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ames; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents, Local - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents, Local - pharmacology; Anti-Infective Agents, Local - toxicity; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antimicrobial; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Chitosan - pharmacology; Chitosan - toxicity; Chromosome Aberrations - drug effects; Cricetulus; Enterococcus - drug effects; Exact sciences and technology; Humans; In vivo; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Miscellaneous. Antibiotics with multiple activities; Mouthwash; Mouthwashes - chemistry; Mouthwashes - pharmacology; Mouthwashes - toxicity; MTT; Mutagenicity Tests; Natural polymers; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Physicochemistry of polymers; Starch and polysaccharides; Streptococcal Infections - prevention & control; Streptococcus - drug effects
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.04.046

•Chitosan mouthwash possessed no genotoxicity.•Chitosan mouthwash possessed lower cytotoxicity than a commercial mouthwash.•Chitosan mouthwash inhibited bacterial counts of Streptococcus and Enterococcus spp.•Chitosan mouthwash reduced bacterial counts by ca. 5.5 logs of CFU.•Chitosan mouthwash had higher antimicrobial activity than a commercial mouthwash. A previous study showed that a chitosan mouthwash would be a valid alternative to current mouthwashes as it demonstrated, in vitro, significantly higher antibiofilm activity than two commercial mouthwashes. As such, the aim of this work was to verify the safety of the developed product and to validate, in vivo, the biological activity ascertained in vitro. Chitosan mouthwash safety was evaluated through Ames, MTT and V79 chromosomal aberration assay while antimicrobial activity was evaluated through in vivo assays. The results showed that the chitosan mouthwash was safe, presenting lower cytotoxicity than a commercial mouthwash, and that it effectively reduced viable counts of Streptococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp. by ca. 5.5 log of CFU. Furthermore, in direct comparison with a commercial mouthwash the chitosan mouthwash possessed significantly higher antimicrobial activity. The conjunction of these results proves that the chitosan mouthwash is a safe, effective, natural alternative to the existent chemical mouthwashes.