Formulation and antimicrobial evaluation of mouthwash containing propolis and roselle extract
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35814/jifi.v24i2.2024Keywords:
Antimicrobial, mouthwash, oral disease, propolis, roselleAbstract
Poor oral hygiene promotes the shift of commensal microorganisms into opportunistic pathogens, causing oral diseases. Natural phenolic-rich products like propolis and roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) offer promising antimicrobial properties for oral care. This study aimed to evaluate the combined antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) and aqueous extract of roselle (AER) against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Candida albicans, and to formulate an effective natural mouthwash. MIC and MBC/MFC values were determined for both extracts. Combined interactions were evaluated using checkerboard assays (FICI). A mouthwash containing 2% EEP and 1% AER was formulated and assessed for physical properties and time-kill kinetics. EEP showed MIC values against S. aureus, S. mutans, and C. albicans of 1,280, 640, and > 20,480 μg/mL, respectively, whereas AER yielded 320, 1,280, and 10,240 μg/mL. EEP MBC values were 1,280 and 2,560 μg/mL for bacterial strains, while AER MBC/MFC values were 1,280, 10,240, and 10,240 μg/mL. Checkerboard assays indicated additive interactions against S. aureus (FICI = 2) and S. mutans (FICI = 3). The formulated mouthwash (2% EEP, 1% AER) was homogeneous, transparent light-brown, menthol-scented, with pH 5.44 ± 0.03 and viscosity 1.36 mPa. Undiluted, it completely eradicated all microbes within 2–10 minutes. The EEP–AER combination exhibits strong antimicrobial activity and holds great potential as a natural mouthwash for oral health management.
References
[1] X. Li, Y. Liu, X. Yang, C. Li, and Z. Song, “The oral microbiota: community composition, ınfluencing factors, pathogenesis, and ınterventions,” Front. Microbiol., vol. 13, p. 895537, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.3389/FMICB.2022.895537.
[2] M. Lu, S. Xuan, and Z. Wang, “Oral microbiota: a new view of body health,” Food Science and Human Wellness, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 8–15, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1016/J.FSHW.2018.12.001.
[3] F. M. Georges, N. T. Do, and D. Seleem, “Oral dysbiosis and systemic diseases,” Frontiers in Dental Medicine, vol. 3, p. 995423, Sep. 2022, doi: 10.3389/FDMED.2022.995423/BIBTEX.
[4] N. Jain, U. Dutt, I. Radenkov, and S. Jain, “WHO’s global oral health status report 2022: actions, discussion and implementation,” Oral Dis., vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 73–79, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.1111/ODI.14516.
[5] World Health Organization, “Oral health,” World Health Organization, Mar. 14, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health. [Accessed: Sep. 10, 2025].
[6] Z. L. S. Brookes, M. McCullough, P. Kumar, and C. McGrath, “Mouthwashes: ımplications for practice,” Int. Dent. J., vol. 73, no. Suppl 2, p. S98, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.1016/J.IDENTJ.2023.08.013.
[7] C. McGrath, J. Clarkson, A. M. Glenny, L. J. Walsh, and F. Hua, “Effectiveness of mouthwashes in managing oral diseases and conditions: do they have a role?,” Int. Dent. J., vol. 73, no. Suppl 2, p. S69, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.1016/J.IDENTJ.2023.08.014.
[8] S. Tidke, G. K. Chhabra, P. P. Madhu, A. Reche, S. Wazurkar, and S. R. Singi, “The effectiveness of herbal versus non-herbal mouthwash for periodontal health: a literature review,” Cureus, vol. 14, no. 8, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.7759/CUREUS.27956.
[9] H. M. Al Marzooqi et al., “Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of propolis from different geographic regions in UAE and its applications in shelf-life extension of beef burger,” Front. Sustain. Food Syst., vol. 9, p. 1574880, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.3389/FSUFS.2025.1574880/BIBTEX.
[10] G. Albanese et al., “Functional and antimicrobial properties of propolis from different areas of Romania,” Applied Sciences (Switzerland), vol. 15, no. 2, p. 898, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.3390/APP15020898/S1.
[11] A. A. Abass et al., “Antimicrobial effect of Red Roselle (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) against different types of oral bacteria,” J. Med. Life, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 89, 2022, doi: 10.25122/JML-2021-0184.
[12] M. A. Saeed, A. Khabeer, M. A. Faridi, and G. Makhdoom, “Effectiveness of propolis in maintaining oral health: a scoping review,” Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene, vol. 55, no. 3, p. 167, Oct. 2021, Accessed: Sep. 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8641552/
[13] Badan Standardisasi Nasional (BSN), SNI 8490:2018. Jakarta, 2018.
[14] M. P. . Weinstein, Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, 2019.
[15] P. Bellio, L. Fagnani, L. Nazzicone, and G. Celenza, “New and simplified method for drug combination studies by checkerboard assay,” MethodsX, vol. 8, p. 101543, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1016/J.MEX.2021.101543.
[16] C. Ononugbo, E. Reward, and A. Ike, “The Effect of pH and temperature on phenol coefficients of two common disinfectants using clinical ısolates of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus,” J. Adv. Microbiol., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1–7, May 2018, doi: 10.9734/JAMB/2018/41376.
[17] Aminu, A.I. and Abdullahi, M.S., “Evaluation of the antibacterial effectiveness of some antiseptics and disinfectants,” UMYU Journal of Microbiology Research (UJMR), vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 175–181, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.47430/UJMR.2161.023.
[18] A. Lobiuc et al., “Future antimicrobials: natural and functionalized phenolics,” Molecules, vol. 28, no. 3, p. 1114, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.3390/MOLECULES28031114.
[19] S. M. Al-haliem, M. J. Mohammed, M. A. Hesarinejad, and T. G. Abedelmaksoud, “antimicrobial, anti‐biofilm activity and antioxidants of phenolic compounds ısolated from hypericum perforatum on periodontal pathogenic oral bacteria,” Food Sci. Nutr., vol. 13, no. 6, p. e70336, Jun. 2025, doi: 10.1002/FSN3.70336.
[20] S. Nubla, R. Adawiyah, M. Sahlan, M. Tugiran, N. M. C. Widyantari, and C. Harlim, “Phytochemical analysis and antifungal activity propolis lombok against Candida sp and Cryptococcus sp,” Journal of Research in Pharmacy, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 1391–1399, 2024, doi: 10.29228/JRP.817.
[21] I. Sitoresmi, M. Purbowati, K. Syamsu, and E. Warsiki, “Optimization of phenols extraction from roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) by microwave assisted extraction as antibacterial and antioxidant agents,” J. Teknol. Ind. Pertan., vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 23–30, 2016, doi: 10.24961/jtip.v26i1.22019.
[22] M. Balouiri, M. Sadiki, and S. K. Ibnsouda, “Methods for in vitro evaluating antimicrobial activity: A review,” J. Pharm. Anal., vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 71–79, Apr. 2016, doi: 10.1016/J.JPHA.2015.11.005.
[23] A. C. O. Silva et al., “Which approach ıs more effective in the selection of plants with antimicrobial activity?,” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2013, no. 1, p. 308980, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.1155/2013/308980.
[24] R. Bridi et al., “International regulations of propolis quality: required assays do not necessarily reflect their polyphenolic-related ın vitro activities,” J. Food Sci., vol. 80, no. 6, pp. C1188–C1195, Jun. 2015, doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12881;ISSUE:ISSUE:DOI.
[25] L. C. Lu, Y. W. Chen, and C. C. Chou, “Antibacterial activity of propolis against Staphylococcus aureus,” Int. J. Food Microbiol., vol. 102, no. 2, pp. 213–220, Jul. 2005, doi: 10.1016/J.IJFOODMICRO.2004.12.017.
[26] K. Grecka, Z. R. Xiong, H. Chen, K. Pełka, R. W. Worobo, and P. Szweda, “Effect of ethanol extracts of propolis (EEPs) against Staphylococcal Biofilm—Microscopic Studies,” Pathogens, vol. 9, no. 8, p. 646, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.3390/PATHOGENS9080646.
[27] A. Dziedzic, R. Kubina, R. D. Wojtyczka, A. Kabała-Dzik, M. Tanasiewicz, and T. Morawiec, “The antibacterial effect of ethanol extract of polish propolis on mutans Streptococci and Lactobacilli Isolated from Saliva,” Evid. Based. Complement. Alternat. Med., vol. 2013, p. 681891, 2013, doi: 10.1155/2013/681891.
[28] M. Dwivedi, S. Muralidhar, and D. Saluja, “Hibiscus sabdariffa extract inhibits adhesion, biofilm initiation and formation in Candida albicans,” Indian J. Microbiol., vol. 60, no. 1, p. 96, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1007/S12088-019-00835-9.
[29] A. Ishak, N. Mazonakis, N. Spernovasilis, K. Akinosoglou, and C. Tsioutis, “Bactericidal versus bacteriostatic antibacterials: clinical significance, differences and synergistic potential in clinical practice,” Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, vol. 80, no. 1, p. 1, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.1093/JAC/DKAE380.
[30] C. Bozkurt-Guzel, G. Inci, O. Oyardi, and P. B. Savage, “Synergistic activity of ceragenins against carbapenem-resistant acinetobacter baumannii strains in both checkerboard and dynamic time-kill assays,” Curr. Microbiol., vol. 77, no. 8, pp. 1419–1428, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1007/S00284-020-01949-W.
[31] S. Bouchelaghem, “Propolis characterization and antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans: a review,” Saudi J. Biol. Sci., vol. 29, no. 4, p. 1936, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1016/J.SJBS.2021.11.063.
[32] S. Deniz and N. Chaachouay, “Synergy, additive effects, and antagonism of drugs with plant bioactive compounds,” Drugs and Drug Candidates 2025, Vol. 4, Page 4, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 4, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.3390/DDC4010004.
[33] J. C. Jenny, P. M. Kuś, and P. Szweda, “Investigation of antifungal and antibacterial potential of green extracts of propolis,” Sci. Rep., vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1–13, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.1038/S41598-024-64111-7;SUBJMETA.
[34] G. Schwerdt, M. C. Schulz, M. Kopf, S. Mildenberger, S. Reime, and M. Gekle, “Physiological regulation of oral saliva ion composition and flow rate are not coupled in healthy humans—Partial revision of our current knowledge required,” Pflugers Archiv, vol. 477, no. 1, p. 55, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.1007/S00424-024-03025-9.
[35] B. W. M. van Swaaij, D. E. Slot, G. A. Van der Weijden, M. F. Timmerman, and J. Ruben, “Fluoride, pH Value, and titratable acidity of commercially available mouthwashes,” Int. Dent. J., vol. 74, no. 2, pp. 260–267, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1016/J.IDENTJ.2023.09.002.
[36] S. Rahman and R. Ariastuti, “Formulation of mouthwash preparations ethanol extract of coffee beans roasted robusta (Coffea canephora) and effectiveness test on bacteria Streptococcus mutans,” Journal of Nutraceuticals and Herbal Medicine |, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 53–65, 2021, [Online]. Available: http://journals.ums.ac.id/index.php/jnhm
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 JURNAL ILMU KEFARMASIAN INDONESIA

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Licencing
All articles in Jurnal Ilmu Kefarmasian Indonesia are an open-access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted non-commercial used, distribution and reproduction in any medium.
This licence applies to Author(s) and Public Reader means that the users mays :
- SHARE:
copy and redistribute the article in any medium or format - ADAPT:
remix, transform, and build upon the article (eg.: to produce a new research work and, possibly, a new publication) - ALIKE:
If you remix, transform, or build upon the article, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. - NO ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS:
You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
It does however mean that when you use it you must:
- ATTRIBUTION: You must give appropriate credit to both the Author(s) and the journal, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
You may not:
- NONCOMMERCIAL: You may not use the article for commercial purposes.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.












