• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.87-91
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• 2005

Dental plaque is a film of microorganisms on the tooth surface that plays an important part in the development of caries and periodontal diseases. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is present in almost all types of dental plaque. Teeth and their supporting structure, the gums (gingiva) are subjected to infection by S. mutans that causes cavities and pyorrhea which, if left untreated, can eventually lead to gingivitis. Various chemical agents have been evaluated over the years with respect to their antimicrobial effects in the oral cavity; however, all are associated with side effects that prohibit regular long-term use. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Aralia continentalis (Araliaceae) extracts on the growth, acid production, adhesion, and insoluble glucan synthesis of S. mutans. The methanol extract of A. continentalis showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition at the concentration of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg/ml compared to the control group. The extracts markedly inhibited S. mutans adherence to HA treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by more than 60% at the concentration of 0.25 mg/ml and complete inhibition was observed at the concentration of 4 mg/ml. On the activity of glucosyltransferase which synthesizes water insoluble glucan from sucrose, methanol extract of A. continentalis showed more than 10% inhibition over the concentration of 0.25 mg/ml. The synthesis of insoluble glucan was decreased in the presence of 0.25 - 4 mg/ml of the methanol extract of A. continentalis. Hence, we conclude that A. continentalis might be a candidate of anticaries agent.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-85
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• 1982

In order to demonstrate the effect of specific serum IgG antibody on the adherence of Streptococcus mutans to smooth surface and the mechanism of effective adherence inhibition by IgG antibody, in the present study authors obtained purified IgG from different immunogen preparations of S. mutans NCTC 10449(serotype c) and observed the effect of each IgG preparation on the adherence of each S. mutans strain cultured in different conditions. In addition, the present study was undertaken to observe the cross-reactivity of IgG and the effect of sucrose concentration on the adherence of S. mutans in vitro non-growth condition. The adherence of S. mutans to glass surface was effectively inhibited by serum IgG antibody. At the same IgG concentrations, anti-2% fructose grown/1N NaCl washed S. mutans NCTC 10449 cell showed greater adherence inhibitory effect to S. mutans strains than anti-2% sucrose grown and anti-S. mutans NCTC 10449 cell wall, and the greater inhibitory effects of IgG preparations were observed in assay using 2% fructose grown S. mutans cell preparations than using 0.1% sucrose grown cell preparations. These results suggest that the more effective adherence inhibition by serum IgG antibody is due to the reaction with S. mutans cell surface antigens rather than glucan and cell-associated glucosyltransferase. The greatest adherence inhibitory effect of IgG to S. mutans strains was observed on homologous NCTC 10449 strain and the inhibition cross-reactivities were observed between serotype c, e, and f strains. More pronounced cross-reactivity of adherence inhibition of IgG to S. mutans was observed in assay using anti-2% fructose grown/1N NaCl washed cell than using other IgG preparations, and observed in assay using 2% fructose grown S. mutans cell preparations than 0.1% sucrose grown cell preparations. It was interested that low, but adequate concentration of reactive IgG antibody significantly increased the adherence ability of S. mutans. This result may be due to the formation of small cell aggregates resulted in a increase in the numbers of organisms which adhered to glass surface. The adherence of S. mutans to glass surface was possible in the absence of glucan-synthetic activity. Low level of sucrose significantly increased the adherence ability of S. mutans to glass surface, but excessive amount of sucrose induced large cell aggregates resulted in a decrease in the numbers of organism which adhered.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.411-416
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• 2011

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the major causative bacteria in dental caries. Xylitol is effective anticarious natural sugar substitute by inhibiting the virulence of S. mutans. However, long-term xylitol consumption leads to the emergence of the xylitol-resistant (XR) strains which means xylitol is no more inhibited their growth. We therefore confirmed the general characteristics and the virulence factors of the xylitol-sensitive (XS) and XR S. mutans for different concentrations of xylitol. S. mutans KCTC 3065 was maintained in TYE medium containing 0.4% glucose with 1% xylitol during 30 days at $37^{\circ}C$, 10% $CO_2$ to form XR strain. The strains were transferred to new medium every 24 hr and the same procedures without xylitol were repeated for the formation of XS S. mutans. Both XS and XR were cultured in different concentrations of xylitol (0%, 0.1% and 1%) then, cell growth, acid production and mRNA expression of gtf genes were analyzed. Xylitol reduced the cell growth of XS S. mutans in dose-dependent manner, but not reduced that of XR. Xylitol inhibited acid production of XS in dose-dependent manner, but not inhibited that of XR. Xylitol reduced the gtfB and gtfD mRNA expression of XS S. mutans which genes synthesized soluble and insoluble extracellular polysaccharides, but not reduced that of XR. These results indicate that the virulence of XR S. mutans is different characters of XS strains, which suggests XR strains may have different cariogenicity of XS strains. Further study is needed to explain the mechanism related to extracellular polysaccharide in the XR strains.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2016

Streptococcus mutans plays a virtal role in trigering dental caries establishment due to its ability to synthesize two significant factors. The two factors are organic acids and glucans. The former demineralized dental enamel and the latter mediates the attachment of bacteria to tooth surface. It is believed that demineralization of dental enamel and attachment of bacteria are the crucial events that indicate and develop dental caries. For this reason, we studied the effect of the ethanol extracts of Radix Pulsatillae on the growth and acid production of S. mutans. Ethanol extracts of the Radix Pulsatillae showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition compared to the control groups (p<0.05). The extracts inhibited S. mutans adherence to hydroxyapatite treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by Radix Pulsatillae. the ethanol extract of Radix Pulsatillae showed remarkable inhibition of glucosyltransferase, which synthesizes water insoluble glucan form sucrose. Phytochemical analysis showed Radix Pulsatillae contained major components such as phenolic compounds, glycosides, steroids, terpenoid, and saponin. These results suggest that Radix Pulsatillae may have anti-cariogenic properties, which may be related with major components such as phenolic compounds, glycosides, steroids, terpenoid, and saponin.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.168-173
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• 2000

Anticariogenic activity of the unripe apple extract was studied by observing the inhibitory effects on GTase(glucosyltransferase) activity, cell adherence and acid production of Streptococcus mutans. Among the four S. mutans strains, S. mutans MT 8148 had the highest water-insoluble glucan forming activity. (+)-Catechin and tannic acid, the major components of the unripe apple polyphenols inhibited GTase activity by 60% at 1 mg/ml and 90% at 5 mg/ml. Tannic acid and unripe apple extract inhibited adherence ability of S. mutans by 50% and 30%, respectively. But the acid production of S. mutans was not influenced by the polyphenols. Disc diffusion test showed that the polyphenols have no antimicrobial activity against S. mutans, which indicates that the inhibition of GTase activity and cell adherence were not resulted from the cell growth inhibition. Our results convinced the possible application of the unripe apple extract as the anticariogenic food additives.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2015

Streptococcus mutans triggers dental caries establishment by two major factors. One is synthesis of organic acids which demineralize dental enamel and the other is synthesis of glucans which mediate the attachment of bacteria to the tooth surface. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the ethanol extracts of Aconitum koreanum (A. koreanum ) on the growth and acid production of S. mutans. Ethanol extracts of the A. koreanum showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition at the concentration of 0.016 mg/ml compared to the control groups (p<0.05). The extracts inhibited S. mutans adherence to hydroxyapatite treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by 50%, 54% at the concentration of 0.063, 0.125 mg/ml. On the study of activation of glucosyltransferase which synthesizes water insoluble glucan form sucrose, the ethanol extract of A. koreanum showed remarkable inhibition over the concentration of 0.016, 0.031, 0.063 and 0.125 mg/ml (p<0.05). Especially on the concentration of 0.063, 0.125 mg/ml, the extracts suppressed the glucan synthesis by 100%. We analyzed the component of the extracts of A. koreanum. The results showed that the extract of A. koreanum had strong phenolic compound, glycosides and organic acids. These results suggest that A. koreanum may inhibit the caries-inducing properties of S. mutans, and which may be related with strong phenolic compound, glycosides and organic acids.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.1396-1402
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• 2000

The effects of Coptis chinensis Franch(CCF) extract on the growth, acid production, cell adherence and glucosyltransferase(GTase) activity of Streptococcus mutans JC-2 were investigated. Methanol extract from CCF showed a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of S. mutans. The minimal inhibition concentration(MIC) of the methanol extract was determined as $130\;{\mu}g/mL$, whereas MIC of water extract was $200\;{\mu}g/mL$. MICs of berberine and palmatine were $50\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $110\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively, showing stronger antimicrobial activities than the extracts of CCF. Antimicrobial activities of methanol extract, berberine and palmatine were not decreased by heating at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min, suggesting that the antimicrobial components including berberine and palmatine are heat-stable. Acid production of S. mutans was decreased by methanol and water extracts, berberine and palmatine. The activity of GTase was inhibited by methanol extract, berberine and palmatine at $300\;{\mu}g/mL$ with 23.2%, 46.1% and 17.1%, respectively, but was not inhibited by water extract. The water extract and palmatine at sub-MICs inhibited the adherence of S. mutans to glass surface by 59.2% and 41.7%, respectively. These results suggest that CCF extracts have anticariogenic effects and could be used as an anticariogenic food additive.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.234-240
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• 2008

Anthocyanin synthesis in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa cv Maehyang) begins approximately 26 days postflowering and continued throughout fruit ripening. A set of cDNA clones encoding the anthocyanin biosynthetic enzymes were isolated from strawberry. A pair of primers were designed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through the comparison of the nucleotide sequences of homologous genes from diverse plants. Reverse transcriptase-PCRs were performed using cDNA synthesized from ripe fruit total RNA and the primers corresponding to each gene. Eight genes of the anthocyanin pathway were cloned and confirmed by sequencing to code for phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), 4-cummarate CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone-3-hydroxylase (F3H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), anthocyanidine synthase (ANS), UDP-glucose:flavonoid-3-O-glucosyl-transferase (UFGT). Northern analyses showed that the corresponding genes were differentially expressed during the fruit development process. All genes except PAL were predominantly expressed in fruit. Expression of PAL, DFR and ANS was detected 10 days postflowering at the early stage of fruit development, declined for a while and sharply increased 22 days postflowering then showed a peak 34 days postflowering. The other genes, however, were not expressed up to 22 or 30 days postflowering when the initial fruit ripening events occur at the time of initiation of anthocyanin accumulation. The onset of anthocyanin synthesis in ripening strawberry coincides with a coordinated induction of the anthocyanin pathway genes, suggesting the involvement of regulatory genes. We propose that at least two different regulatory mechanisms playa role in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin during color development of strawberry.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.129-141
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• 2001

When oral microorganisms were sampled from occlusal surfaces of caries and non-caries teeth, $3.43\times10^5$ CFU and $3.47\times10^3$ CFU of bacteria were counted on MSB agar plates, respectively. All the 20 colonies isolated from a caries surface were Streptococcus mutans but, only two of 20 colonies were identified as Streptococcus mutans by API test. S. mutans SM1 from caries tooth and S. mutans SM2 from non-caries tooth showed the same results except for $\alpha-galactosidase$ activity on sugar fermentation tests and biochemical tests. For the bacterial replication, both SM1 and SM2 were actively multiplicated at pH 5.5. And the viability of SM1 was high at 20% of sucrose, while that of SM2 was high at 5% of sucrose in the media. SM1 actively replicated at 16mM of $CaCl_2$, 160mM of KCl, and 6.4mM of $MgCl_2$, and the replication of SM2 was increased at 16mM of $CaCl_2$, 40mM of KCl, 6.4mM of $MgCl_2$. At 1mM of sodium bicarbonate and sodium phosphate, both bacteria were actively multiplicated. SM1 and SM2 were actively replicated at 1mM and 10mM of Tris, respectively. For potassium phosphate buffer, SM1 grew well proportionally to the concentration up to 100mM, while the growth of SM2 were inhibited by the increase of concentration. The 4.6 kb of gtf gene was amplified with a pair of primer, gtfB-F961 and gtfC-R5574 by polymerase chain reaction from the chromosomal DNA of SM1 and SM2. When 4.6kb bands were eluted from gel and were treated with restriction enzyme, EcoR I produced the same RFLP like 0.8kb and 3.8kb of DNA fragments for S. mutans GS-5, SM1 and SM2. By Hind III, the PCR products weren't digested for S. mutans GS-5 and SM1, but 3 fragments such as 2.4kb, 1.8kb and 400bp were examined for SM2. These results indicated the difference between gtf genes of SM1 and SM2. BamH I treatment showed 4 fragments for SM1 and SM2, while the 3 fragments for S. mutans GS-5. The PCR products were not digested by Kpn I, Sma I, Xho I and Pst I.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.666-671
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• 2003

Dental caries are the most commonly occurring chronic diseases in the dental field. Because of increasing sugar consumption and extension of average human life, these diseases are widely found all over the world as the most typical cause for a person to lose a tooth. Therefore, the development of more effective, substantial and safe preventive agents against dental caries is strongly required. Streptococcus mutans is known as the causative bacterial playing the most important role informing plaque and it is being noticed as major causative bacteria of dental caries. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Asarum sieboldii Miquel(Aristolochiaceae) extracts on the growth, acid production, adhesion, and insoluble glucan synthesis of Streptococcus mutans(S. mutans). Both methanol and aqueous extracts showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition at the concentration of 100, 1,000 and 2,000 μg/ml compared to the control group(p<0.05 - p<0.01). The extracts markedly inhibited S. mutans adherence to HA treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by more than 50% at the concentration of 10 μg/ml and complete inhibition was observed at the concentration of 2,000 μg/ml. On the activity of glucosyltransferase which synthesizes water insoluble glucan from sucrose, methanol and aqueous extracts showed more than 70% inhibition over the concentration of 1,000 μg/ml. Hence, we conclude that Asarum sieboldii might be a candidate of anticaries agent.