Antibacterial Activity of Milk Vetch Flower Honey against Four Bacteria of Human Oral Flora: Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobasillus rhamnosus and Lactobasillus plantarum

Aims: Milk vetch flower honey has valuable therapeutic effects, however, its antibacterial effect is not well understood. In present study, milk vetch flower honey was assessed for antibacterial activity against four bacterial species: Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobasillus rhamnosus and Lactobasillus plantarum, which are the main causes of oral cavity infection.
Methodology: Honey solutions were prepared by diluting with sterile water to the final test concentrations (9.3, 18.75, 37.5, 75, 150, 300, 600 and 1200ppm) immediately before testing. Antimicrobial activity was determined by serial dilution and the disk diffusion method.
Results: Although a honey concentration of1200 ppm strongly inhibited growth of all four bacterial species, concentrations below 37.5 ppm were more efficient as antibacterials. We determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for honey against S. mutans, L. casei, L. rhamnosus and L. plantarum were 75, 75, 100 and 100 ppm, respectively. S. mutans was the most resistance species with a zone of inhibition of 6.81 millimetres (mm) while L. casei showed significant sensitivity with a zone of inhibition of approximately 11.3 mm.
Conclusion: To conclude, the reasonable antibacterial effect of milk vetch flower honey against mentioned bacteria species indicated that this type of honey could be used as a natural antibiotic, however, it need more studies for finding its effective agents.