Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Archives of Oral Biology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/archoralbio Research Paper Antibacterial activity against cariogenic bacteria and cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of Anacardium occidentale L. and Anadenanthera macrocarpa (Benth.) Brenan extracts Josenildo Segundo Chaves de Araújo a , Aline Rogéria Freire de Castilho b, ⁎ , Andressa Brito Lira c , Andréia Vieira Pereira d , Tatiane Kelly Barbosa de Azevêdo e , Edja Maria de Melo de Brito Costa f , Maria do Socorro Vieira Pereira g , Hilzeth Freire Luna Pessoa h , Jozinete Vieira Pereira f a Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil b Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil c Postgraduate Program in Natural Products and Synthetic Bioactive, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil d Department of Experimental Pathology, State University of Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil e School of Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil f Department of Dentistry, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil g Faculty of Medical Sciences of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil h Department of Molecular Biology, Center of Exact Sciences and Nature, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Anacardium occidentale Plants Phytotherapy Products with antimicrobial action Osmotic fragility Toxicity ABSTRACT Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the antibacterial activity against bacteria with cariogenic re- levance, toxic and genotoxic potential of the plants Anacardium occidentale L. and Anadenanthera macrocarpa (Benth.) Bernam. Design: Using a microdilution technique, the extracts were submitted to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing against Streptococcus mitis (ATCC 903), Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175), Streptococcus oralis (ATCC 10557), Streptococcus salivarius (ATCC 7073), Streptococcus sanguinis (ATCC 15300) and Streptococcus sobrinus (ATCC 27609). The toxicity of the extracts was then verified against eukaryotic cells. Additionally, a micronucleus assay was performed to investigate the potential mutagenic effects of the extracts on rat ery- throcytes. The Student’s t-test, Bonferroni test, and one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s tests were used for statistical analysis, at a significance level of 5%. Results: While the A. occidentale extract was able to inhibit all of the tested strains, with S. mutans and S. mitis being the most susceptible to that extract ́ s action, the A. macrocarpa did not show antimicrobial activity. Interestingly, the hemolytic, oxidant and antioxidant activities were slightly observed for either extract, even at high concentrations (1000 mg/mL). The micronucleus assay showed no significant changes in the cells exposed to the extracts. Conclusion: The A. occidentale extract has potential as an antimicrobial agent with low eukaryotic cell toxicity or mutagenic activity. The A. macrocarpa extract, although absent of antibacterial activity might as well be a safe and effective phytotherapeutic alternative. 1. Introduction Phytotherapeutics use active substances from plants and are popu- larly used as an effective alternative to treat various diseases, including oral pathologies (Cartaxo-Furtado et al., 2017; Castilho, Pardi, & Murata, 2007; Pereira et al., 2016). Their careful use has been recommended as a tool in primary health care programs, especially in underserved communities (Antonio, Tesser, & Moretti-Pires, 2014) since they reduce drug costs, present easier access and also promote fewer adverse effects in the body. Although there is a wide range of antimicrobial agents indicated for the control and treatment of various diseases, several oral health studies http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2017.10.008 Received 9 May 2017; Received in revised form 9 October 2017; Accepted 10 October 2017 ⁎ Corresponding authorat: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Av. Limeira 901, P.O. Box 52, 13414-018 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. E-mail addresses: segundojp.ufrj@gmail.com (J.S.C. de Araújo), alinecastilho@yahoo.com.br (A.R.F. de Castilho), andressabritolira@hotmail.com (A.B. Lira), andreiavet@hotmail.com (A.V. Pereira), tatianekellyengenheira@hotmail.com (T.K.B. de Azevêdo), edjacosta@gmail.com (E.M.d.M. de Brito Costa), vieirapereira@uol.com.br (M.d.S.V. Pereira), hilzete@gmail.com (H.F.L. Pessoa), jozinetevieira@hotmail.com (J.V. Pereira). Archives of Oral Biology 85 (2018) 113–119 0003-9969/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. MARK