The physical characteristics and antibacterial properties of a combination of ellagic acid and calcium hydroxide

Context: Ellagic acid is a natural pomegranate compound with potent anti-inflammatory properties. A combination of ellagic acid and bone-stimulating material in bone remodelling plays a vital role in suppressing inflammation and resulting in bone formation. However, the characteristic of the mixture of ellagic acid and bone-stimulating material, like calcium hydroxide, needs to be established, especially its physical attributes and antibacterial properties. Aims: To analyse the characteristics of three different ratios of combinations of ellagic acid and calcium hydroxide, including compound, compressive strength, acidity, calcium ion release and antibacterial properties of Streptococcus mutans. Methods: Using distilled water solvent, the combination of ellagic acid and calcium hydroxide was made with three different ratios, 1:99, 3:97 and 5:95. Each combination was created as a sample mould with 4 mm in diameter. At the same time, the control group only had calcium hydroxide. The identified compound of ellagic acid was analysed using the compressive strength of the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), the compressive strength using an autograph compression strength tester, and acidity and calcium release using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), while the antibacterial properties used diffusion methods. The differences in each characteristic were analysed using a one-way ANOVA test and Tukey’s HSD post hoc test, with p<0.05 considered significantly different. Results: The combination of ellagic acid and calcium hydroxide showed a functional group of hydroxyls (-OH) and carbonate (CO3^2-). The combination with a ratio of 1:99 showed a higher compressive strength, alkaline acidity, calcium release and higher inhibition to Streptococcus mutans than combination 3:97 and 5:95 (p<0.05). Conclusions: The combination of ellagic acid and calcium hydroxide showed a promising characteristic for use in bone regeneration. The lower concentration of ellagic acid (1:99) showed better characteristics, including acidity, compressive strength and antibacterial properties to Streptococcus mutans.