Combating oral biofilms in Nigerian schoolchildren: a synergistic approach using Macrosphyra longistyla extracts and titanium-ferrite nanoparticles

Biofilm-producing bacteria isolated and sequenced in this study are <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas caviae, Proteus mirabil</i> <i>is</i> and <i>Serratia marcescens</i>. The plant extracts coupled with nanoparticles were found to be more bioactive against the biofilm producers than either the plant extracts or the nanoparticles alone. The MICs observed here showed these complexes to be more bioactive against the pathogens in lower concentrations compared to that observed in similar studies. FTIR revealed that the bands at around 3,000-2,800 cm^-1 correspond to C-H stretching vibrations. The bands at around 1,700-1,600 cm^-1 corresponded to C=O stretching vibrations. The bands at around 1,500-1,400 cm^-1 corresponded to N-H bending vibrations. The presence of these functional groups suggests that <i>Macrosphyra longistyla</i> doped with TF nanoparticles (MSLNP) is a complex compound that contains a variety of different chemical groups. Histology revealed no significant derangements observed in the histoarchitecture of experimental groups. This suggests that the compound shows potential as antimicrobial therapy in battling bacterial oral biofilms. It is recommended that the compound undergo further testing in the drug design process.