Morin hydrate

To identify a potential natural therapeutic agent to treat the mixed biofilms of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, thereby preventing dental caries.

The coexisting S. mutans and C. albicans was isolated from dental caries. Antimicrobial activity of various natural components was assessed against S. mutans and C. albicans. Antibiofilm efficacy of naringin was assessed against the biofilm of mixed S. mutans and C. albicans. The cell viability in mixed biofilm was determined using MTT assay and CLSM investigations. The molecular docking analysis of naringin with secreted aspartic proteinase (SAP2) of C. albicans and glucosyltransferase-I (GtfB) of S. mutans was performed using AutoDock and PyMOL tools. The biocompatibility of naringin was determined on human RBCs and HGF cells.

The natural components such as curcumin, naringin, quercetin, morin, rutin, and hesperetin shows the antimicrobial effects against the clinical isolates S. mutans and C. albicans. Among these, naringin exhibits the significant antimicrobial effect against S. mutans (MIC:183 ± 5.70 µM), C. albicans (MIC:196 ± 0.00 µM), and their mixed culture (MIC:200 ± 10.00 µM). The MTT and CLSM results indicates that 2xMIC (400 µM) of naringin demonstrates the potential eradication of mature biofilm of mixed S. mutans and C. albicans. Naringin establishes the strong binding interaction with enzymes GtfB of S. mutans and SAP2 of C. albicans. The IC₅₀ value of naringin towards HGF cells was noted as 711.5 µM.

The flavonoid naringin demonstrates the effective and safe therapeutic potential to treat coexisting S. mutans and C. albicans biofilm virulence to prevent the dental caries.

Lead, a naturally occurring heavy metal contaminant, poses serious environmental and health risks. Upon exposure, it accumulates in various organs and disrupts normal physiological functions. In the liver, it induces oxidative stress by generating reactive oxygen species and impairing antioxidant defenses, leading to hepatotoxicity. Plant‐derived antioxidants have shown considerable efficacy in mitigating such toxic effects. Therefore, this study evaluates the hepatoprotective potential of morin, a bioactive flavonoid, against lead‐induced oxidative damage and structural alterations in male Wistar rats. Animals were allocated equally into four experimental groups: control, morin‐treated (50 mg/kg b.wt), lead‐exposed (30 mg/kg b.wt), and lead + morin co‐treated group, which received respective doses intragastrically for 28 days. Results showed that morin significantly attenuated lead‐induced hepatotoxicity as indicated by reduced lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation in biochemical assays. The FTIR analysis further confirmed oxidative modifications in lipid and protein structure, implying disruption of their molecular integrity due to lead exposure. Further, morin treatment considerably improved the activities of acetylcholinesterase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, along with increased glutathione content in lead‐exposed rats. The molecular docking analysis also revealed a strong binding affinity (−6.55 and −8.97 kcal/mol) of morin with superoxide dismutase and catalase, supporting its role in modulating antioxidant defense mechanisms. Morin also prevented lead‐induced hepatic deformities, including hydropic degeneration, portal vein congestion, and extensive collagen fiber deposition, as demonstrated by the histological and electron microscopy examinations. Conclusively, this subchronic study highlights morin's therapeutic potential and antioxidative efficacy in the liver tissue of rats subjected to lead exposure.