868 final


The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of 
Maxillofacial Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

Vol 13 No 1 (2025)    DOI 10.5195/d3000.2025.868 

 h#p://den*stry3000.pi#.edu 

The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract on the An6fungal and 
Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial Prosthe6c Silicones 

 
Nusaiba Mustafa Muhammed, Safwan Abid-Alhameed Suliman, Luma Nasrat Arab 

College of Dentistry, Tikrit University, Tikrit, Iraq 

Abstract 

Objec&ves: The study aimed to evaluate the an;microbial efficacy and some mechanical proper;es of 
maxillofacial silicone aAer incorpora;ng aloe vera oil.  

Materials and Methods: Two concentra;ons of aloe vera oil were added to the room temperature 
vulcanized maxillofacial silicone. Three tests were conducted (disk diffusion test, tear strength, and shore 
A hardness) using standardized condi;ons. Sta;s;cal analysis involved the use of one-way ANOVA and 
Tukey’s post-hoc tests. 

Results: It was revealed that aloe vera oil has strong an;fungal proper;es for 1% and 2% incorporated 
specimens as there was large inhibi;on zone (5.94 mm and 8.45 mm respec;vely) around the 
incorporated specimens compared to control specimens. Tear strength was decreased aAer the addi;on, 
while hardness was increased especially for 2% incorporated specimens but s;ll within acceptable limits. 

Conclusions: The study contributes valuable insights into the development of an;microbial silicone 
material reinforced with Aloe vera oil, advancing maxillofacial materials towards improved pa;ent 
outcomes and enhanced health. 

Keywords: Aloe Vera; Candida albicans; Disk 
Diffusion; Shore A Hardness; Tear Strength.  

Cita:on: Muhamed NM, et al. (2025) The Impact of Aloe 
Vera Herbal Extract on the An:fungal and Mechanical 
Proper:es of Maxillofacial Prosthe:c Silicones. Den:stry 
3000. 1:a001 doi:10.5195/d3000.2025.868 
Received: March 2, 2025  
Accepted: March 14, 2025 
Published: April 21, 2025 
Copyright: ©2025 Muhammed NM, et al. This is an open 
access ar:cle licensed under a Crea:ve Commons 
AVribu:on Work 4.0 United States License. 
Email: nooosamustafamustafa@gmail.com

 

 

Introduction 

For those with facial damage, 
congenital malformations, or post-
surgical interventions, maxillofacial 
silicone prostheses are essential in 
restoring facial aesthetics and 
function [1,2]. Wearers must 
receive the necessary care to 
ensure their longevity and well-
being, and disinfection is an 
essential component in preventing 
microbial colonization and 
maintaining hygiene [3,4]. 

         One of the most significant 
issues with using silicone 
prostheses is the microbial 
colonization of their surface by 
bacteria, fungus, and plaque, 
which can lead to mucosal 
infection and/or inflammation 
[5,6]. A medicinal cost plant might 
hold the key to finding a novel 
antimicrobial agent considering 
the global consumption of 
antimicrobial medications, which 
has resulted in the evolution of 
resistant bacteria species [7]. Many 
plant extracts can serve as natural 

alternatives to manufactured 
medications since medicinal plants 
are affordable, safe, and 
efficacious [8,9]. 

        Aloe vera is regarded as the 
most powerful, significant to the 
economy, and well-liked plant in 
the scientific community. About 
200 active chemicals, including 
amino acids, carbohydrates, 
enzymes, vitamins, minerals, 
saponins, anthraquinones, lignin, 
and salicylic acid, are present in 
various plant sections, along with 
about 75 nutrients [10]. The rind 



The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial 
Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

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contains carbohydrates, lignin, 
pectin, hemicellulose, and 
cellulose, while the blossoms 
include volatile substances and 
ascorbic acid. Analogously, 
different organic acids, enzymes, 
phenolic compounds, minerals, 
and vitamins can be obtained from 
the leaves [11,12]. 

       Aloe vera is widely recognized 
for its anti-inflammatory, 
antioxidant, antidiabetic, immune-
boosting, anti-aging, and 
anticancer qualities. It also relieves 
sunburn. Owing to its distinct 
composition, aloe vera has been 
used in a variety of industrial 
applications [13]. This study 
provides an overview of the 
medicinal properties of aloe vera 
as well as its uses in culinary and 
cosmetic products. Furthermore, 
spoken about are risks connected 
to using aloe vera and related 
safety measures. 

Materials and Methods  

Materials used  

In this study, aloe vera oil (Nature 
in Bottle, India) and VST-50 room 
temperature vulcanized silicone 
(Factor II Inc., USA) were used. 

Specimen grouping 

In this in-vitro prospective 
investigation, 90 silicone 
specimens (30 for antifungal 

testing, 30 for hardness testing, 
and 30 for tear testing) were used. 
The specimens were separated 
into three groups (10 each) based 
on the amount of oil combined 
with silicone (0% Control, 1%, and 
2%). 

Acrylic molds preparation 

AutoCAD 2015, developed by 
Autodesk Inc. in San Rafael, CA, 
USA, was used to create the 
dimensions, which were then cut 
using a laser cutting device (JL-
1612, Jinan Link Manufacture and 
Trading Co., Ltd., China) according 
to each test. The mold consists of 
three parts: the base, the mold 
space into which silicone was 
poured, and the lid. G-clamps, 
nuts, and screws are used to attach 
the mold pieces together. 

Mixing 

As advised by the manufacturer, 
the mixing ratio was 10 parts A 
(base) to 1 parts B (catalyst) by 
weight. The manufacturer also 
suggests utilizing a vacuum mixer 
or vacuum chamber (Figure 3) to 
prevent air entrapment, which 
affects mechanical qualities. To 
achieve the greatest results from 
mixing and curing, the operation 
should be carried out at 23°C and 
50% relative humidity [19]. The 
samples with additional oil were 
created by adding the oil to silicone 

material at two different 
concentrations (1%, and 2% by 
weight). To establish an 
appropriate base to catalyst ratio, 
the additional oil’s weight was 
deducted from the weight of the 
base (Part A) and then added to the 
catalyst (Part B). 

Preparation and storage of 
specimens 

Specimens were made by covering 
the mold cover with two layers of 
alginate solution as a separating 
medium, then gently pouring 
silicone mixture into all sample 
areas, slightly overfilling to assure 
completeness. The top piece of the 
mold was then joined over the 
matrix part with mild hand 
pressure, screws, nuts, and G-
clamps to remove air bubbles and 
excess silicone. Polymerization 
took 24 hours at room 
temperature (23±2°C), following 
which samples were carefully 
removed from the mold. Cleaning 
included washing with tap water, 
drying with paper towels, and fine-
tuning with a scalpel to remove 
excess material [14]. 

Disk diffusion test 

To conduct the Disc Diffusion test, 
Sabouraud dextrose agar (Oxoid, 
England) was prepared and put 
into sterile petri plates per 
manufacturer directions. The disc 



The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial 
Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

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 h#p://den*stry3000.pi#.edu 

diffusion technique, as 
recommended by WHO, was used 
to evaluate the antifungal 
properties of Aloe vera oil put into 
silicone material specimens. To 
generate a fungal suspension, 4-8 
isolated Candida albicans colonies 
were selected from the incubated 
culture and placed in a test tube 
containing 4 mL of normal saline. A 
sterile cotton swab was then used 
to inoculate a tiny quantity of the 
fungal solution and streak it 
equally across the surface of the 
Sabouraud dextrose agar medium. 
The infected plates were then 
allowed to dry for ten minutes. 

       Disk shaped specimens (10 mm 
diameter and 2 mm thickness) 
were used. The specimen discs 
were carefully placed on the agar 
with sterile forceps and gently 
pushed to establish appropriate 
contact with the agar surface. 
Plates were then incubated at 30 
ºC for 18-24 hours. The inhibition 
zones were then measured using a 
millimeter scale. 

Tear strength 

Specimens with an apex and two 
ends were designed and tested in 
accordance with the ISO 34-1:2015 
standard. The thickness measures 
2±0.2mm. A digital caliper was 
used to determine the thickness of 
the angled section where tearing 
may occur. The testing was carried 

out with a universal testing 
equipment. The testing speed was 
500mm/minute. To uniformly 
distribute the force within the 
specimen, it must be held 
accurately between the grips of the 
machine. The specimens were held 
30±0.5 mm apart.  The lower grip 
was fixed while the upper grips 
were movable. The highest force at 
break (N/mm) was measured to 
determine tear strength (Figure 1). 

 
Figure 1. Tear strength test using a 

universal testing machine. 

Shore A hardness 

The test samples were made in line 
with ISO 7619-1 (2010) criteria, 
with each measuring 40mm long, 
40mm wide, and 6mm thick. These 
dimensions were chosen to 
guarantee that there was enough 
exterior surface area to conduct 
five measurements with a shore A 
durometer (Ezitown, China) at 
6mm between each spot. 
Furthermore, a 12mm distance 
from the sample margin was 

maintained to ensure accurate 
hardness testing in compliance 
with the standards. The average of 
the five hardness values was then 
determined for each sample. 

Statistical analysis 

The statistical analysis used SPSS 
version 26. To establish the 
difference between groups, 
independent t test, a one-way 
ANOVA and a Tukey’s post hoc test 
were used with a significance 
threshold of P=0.05. P < 0.05 was 
judged significant, while P < 0.01 
was regarded highly significant. 

Results 

Disk diffusion test  

The results revealed an increase in 
the inhibition zone around the 
specimens that were incorporated 
with 2% Aloe vera oil compared to 
those incorporated with 1% Aloe 
vera oil (Table 1 and Figure 2), 
while there was no inhibition zone 
around control specimens (Figure 
3). Control group was not included 
in the statistical analysis as there 
was no inhibition zone around 
control specimens. 

Groups N Mean 
Standard 
Deviation 

Standard 
Error 

+Mean 

1% 10 5.949 0.37 0.117 

2% 10 8.4521 0.74329 0.23505 

Table 1. Descriptive statistics and one-way 
ANOVA test for disk diffusion test. 



The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial 
Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

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Figure 2. Bar chart representing the 
means and standard deviation for 2% and 

1% incorporated specimens. 

 

Figure 3. Disk diffusion test result for 
each group. 

Independent T test revealed highly 
significant difference between 2% 
specimens and 1% specimens as 
indicated in (Table 2). 

Shore A Hardness 

The experimental groups (1% and 
2%) revealed higher hardness 
levels than control group (Figure 
4). Also, there was highly 
significant difference between the 
control group and group 1% and 
2% respectively, while there was 
non- significant difference 
between 1% group and 2% group 
(Table 3). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Figure 4. Bar chart representing the 

means and standard deviation of shore A 
hardness for the groups. 

Tear strength 

Tear strength was decreased after 
the addition of Aloe vera oil 
especially for 2% incorporated 

 Levene's Test for Equality 
of Variances t-test for Equality of Means 

F P-value t 

Degrees 
of 

freedom 
p-value (2-

tailed) 

Equal variances not 
assumed 

6.396 0.021 -9.533 13.202 .000 

 ANOVA Tukey HSD 

Group Minimum Maximum Mean ±SD F 
P-

value 
Groups 

P-
value 

B 44.14 44.83 44.527 0.24676 30.995 0.000 A B 0.000 

C 44.88 45.21 45.086 0.10824 A C 0.000 

D 44.88 45.63 45.207 0.234 B C 0.395 

Levene statistics=3.826, p-value=0.34 

Table 2.  Independent T test for disk diffusion test. 

 

Table 3. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and post hoc test for shore 
A hardness test. 

 

 

Table 4. Descriptive statistics, one way ANOVA, and post hoc 
test for tear strength test. 

 

 



The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial 
Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

Vol 13 No 1 (2025)    DOI 10.5195/d3000.2025.868 

 h#p://den*stry3000.pi#.edu 

specimens (Figure 5) as there was a 
highly significant difference 
between 2% group and control 
group, also a highly significant 
difference between 2% and 1% 
groups, while there was a non-
significant difference between 
control group and 1% group (Table 
4). 

 

 

Figure 5. Bar chart representing the 
means and standard deviation of tear 

strength for the groups. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 4. Descriptive statistics, one way 
ANOVA, and post hoc test for tear 
strength test. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion 

The rich composition of bioactive 
substances in Aloe vera, such as 
acemannan, emodin, and aloin, 
which are known for their 
antimicrobial qualities, was the key 
behind its incorporation into RTV 
silicone. Through a variety of 
interactions, these components 
compromise fundamental cellular 
activities necessary for fungal 
growth and proliferation and 
damage the integrity of fungal cell 
membranes. For example, 

anthraquinone derivatives such as 
aloin and emodin can pass through 
the cell walls of fungi to change the 
permeability of the membrane and 
allow internal elements like 
proteins and ions to seep out. 

 The result of this disturbance is 
cellular malfunction and apoptosis, 
which effectively stops fungal 
growth [15]. 

     The present investigation 
thoroughly assessed the efficacy of 
aloe vera oil at 1% and 2% 
concentrations in conferring 
antifungal characteristics on RTV 
silicone. Clear inhibition zones 
surrounding the silicone samples 
containing aloe vera oil were 
shown by agar diffusion tests, 
indicating that the oil had the 
capacity to stop fungal growth. The 
reason for this is that bioactive 
molecules from the oil diffuse into 
the surrounding agar media. There, 
they interact with the fungal cells, 
causing damage to their 
membrane integrity and 
preventing them from proliferating 
[16]. 

      Additionally, aloe vera contains 
acemannan, a polysaccharide that 
is essential for boosting the 
immune system's defenses against 
fungal infections at the molecular 
level. Acemannan stimulates the 
generation of antimicrobial 
peptides and increases phagocytic 

 ANOVA Tukey HSD 

Group Minimum Maximum Mean ±SD F 
P-

value 
Groups 

P-
value 

B 24.53 27.53 26.0300 .97183 13.728 .000 A B 0.39 

C 22.51 28.51 25.2100 1.82878 A C 0.000 

D 21.42 25.42 22.9200 1.17851 B C 0.003 

Levene statistics=2.017, p-value=0.153 



The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial 
Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

Vol 13 No 1 (2025)    DOI 10.5195/d3000.2025.868 

 h#p://den*stry3000.pi#.edu 

activity through interactions with 
immune cells and cytokines. 
Acemannan may improve RTV 
silicone's capacity to control 
immune responses at the 
application site, which would 
increase the material's antifungal 
activity in concert [17,18]. 

     Aloe vera oil and RTV silicone 
interact chemically when bioactive 
substances are incorporated into 
the silicone matrix during the 
curing process. Aloe vera oil 
molecules are incorporated into 
silicone polymer chains by 
crosslinking, which enables an 
antibacterial agent to release 
continuously throughout time. 
Aloin, emodin, acemannan, and 
other active ingredients are 
continuously exposed to fungal 
infections thanks to this sustained 
release mechanism, which 
prolongs the antifungal action [19]. 

      Physically, aloe vera oil may 
change the hydrophobicity and 
surface characteristics of RTV 
silicone, affecting how well it 
interacts with fungi and their 
biofilms. Fungal colonization and 
persistence can be further 
inhibited by including hydrophilic 
and amphiphilic components from 
aloe vera oil, which can interfere 
with biofilm development and 
adhesion to silicone surfaces [20]. 

       Notwithstanding the 
advantageous antifungal 
characteristics noted, there was a 
discernible compromise in the 
silicone's mechanical attributes, 
specifically regarding tear strength. 
In applications like maxillofacial 
prosthesis, where durability and 
longevity are critical for long-term 
performance, the tearing of 
silicone materials is important. 
There are several reasons why 
adding aloe vera oil, particularly at 
higher doses (2%), resulted in a 
reduction in tear strength. 
Disruption in the Silicon Network 
Since aloe vera oil is a non-reactive 
filler, it might damage the silicone 
matrix's crosslinked structure. Oil 
can prevent silicone chains from 
forming strong bonds during the 
vulcanization process, which is 
when silicone chains crosslink to 
form a sturdy network. As a result, 
the material develops isolated 
weak points that make it more 
[21]. Aloe vera oil serves as a 
plasticizer, improving the flexibility 
and decreasing the overall stiffness 
of silicone. While this can improve 
some qualities, too much 
plasticization can reduce tear 
resistance by weakening 
cohesiveness between silicone 
strands. The inclusion of aloe vera 
oil may cause gaps or 
abnormalities in the silicone 
matrix. These microstructural 
alterations can operate as stress 

concentration areas, allowing tears 
to form and spread more easily 
under mechanical loads [22,23]. 

        Interestingly, despite the 
decreased tear power, the addition 
of aloe vera oil resulted in a modest 
rise in Shore A hardness. Shore 
Hardness is a measure of a 
material's resistance to 
indentation, with higher values 
suggesting stiffer material. This rise 
can be ascribed to oil filling up 
micro voids or holes in the silicone 
matrix, resulting in a denser 
material structure [24]. However, it 
is worth noting that the increase in 
hardness was minor in comparison 
to the loss in tear strength, 
indicating a complicated interplay 
between material attributes. 

Conclusions 

In conclusion, while aloe vera oil 
shows promise as a natural 
antimicrobial additive for RTV 
maxillofacial silicone, its 
incorporation necessitates a 
careful balance between 
enhancing antifungal properties 
and maintaining mechanical 
integrity. Further research is 
essential to refine formulations 
and optimize performance for 
practical medical applications.  

Funding 

Self-funded. 



The Impact of Aloe Vera Herbal Extract of the An6fungal and Mechanical Proper6es of Maxillofacial 
Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

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Prosthe6c Silicones   

 

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