Phytochemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Cyperus rotundus and Momordica charantia on Oral Bacteria from Patients with Periodontitis

Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent oral diseases globally, with a high risk of tooth loss and systemic complications.  The increasing resistance and side effects associated with conventional antibiotics have necessitated the search for alternative therapeutic agents from natural sources.  Antibacterial activity was determined using the agar well diffusion method, while minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were evaluated using standard procedures.  This study evaluated the phytochemical composition and antibacterial activity of extracts from Cyperus rotundus rhizomes and Momordica charantia leaves against oral pathogenic bacteria isolated from patients with periodontitis attending General Hospital Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.  The bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (49.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (31.6%), Enterobacter hormaechei (11.8%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (7.4%), and Bacillus cereus (5.1%).  Aqueous and ethanolic plant extracts of Cyperus rotundus rhizomes and Momordica charantia leaves revealed the presence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, and phenols in varying concentrations.  The aqueous extract of Cyperus rotundus rhizome showed zones of inhibition ranging from 4.50 ± 0.50 mm to 17.50 ± 0.50 mm, while the ethanolic extract ranged from 8.00 ± 1.00 mm to 17.50 ± 1.50 mm.  The ethanolic extract of Momordica charantia leaves exhibited zones of inhibition ranging from 5.50 ± 0.50 mm to 14.00 ± 1.00 mm, with no activity observed against Enterobacter hormaechei.  The MIC and MBC values ranged from 100 mg/mL to 400 mg/mL.  Among the extracts, ethanolic Cyperus rotundus showed the highest antibacterial efficacy, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus.  The toxicity study of Cyperus rotundus revealed that the extracts had no significant changes (p < 0.05) in the body weight, hematological, biochemical, hepatic and renal parameters of both the control and the tested group throughout the 28days of treatment.