Instead of a dental elixir
Red wine helped prevent tooth decay and gum disease
Ekaterina Rusakova, N+1
Spanish biologists have shown that polyphenols, which are contained in red wine, prevent bacteria that cause caries, periodontitis (inflammation of the root of the tooth and surrounding tissues) and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) from entering the tissues of the oral cavity, according to the Journal of Agricultural and food chemistry (Esteban-Fernández et al., Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic). Polyphenols act both by themselves and "in cooperation" with Streptococcus dentisani probiotic bacteria.
The microbiome of the oral cavity has more than 700 species of organisms. Most of them live in a film covering the teeth and soft tissues of the oral cavity. With the development of pathologies, primary colonizers (usually streptococci) first settle on the surface of tissues, forming a monolayer, and then other microorganisms migrate to it. Various factors (individual susceptibility of a person, poor hygiene, diet) can affect the change in the composition of the oral microbiome and cause the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Among them are Streptococcus mutans, one of the main culprits of caries, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis, which play an important role in the occurrence of gingivitis and periodontitis, respectively.
In their previous work, the authors of a study led by Victoria Moreno-Arribas from the Food Research Institute in Madrid showed that the polyphenols contained in red wine have a beneficial effect on the composition of the oral microbiota and help prevent tooth decay and periodontal diseases. However, the mechanism of action of polyphenols on pathogenic microorganisms remained not fully understood.
In a new article, Spanish biologists investigated the effect of polyphenols on the formation of bacterial films on fibroblasts (connective tissue cells) of the gums. As a model system, scientists used a culture of gum fibroblasts, to which one of the pathogens was added – S. mutans, F.nucleatum or P. gingivalis. The researchers treated bacterial and human cells with an extract of red wine or grape seeds, as well as polyphenols contained in wine – coffee and p-coumaric acids. In addition, the authors tested the cumulative effect of polyphenols and probiotics on pathogenic microorganisms Streptococcus dentisani.These bacteria were isolated from the oral microbiome of people who did not suffer from caries; they produce proteins that suppress the vital activity of pathogens, in particular Streptococcus mutans.
It turned out that both pure polyphenols and extracts, even in small concentrations (50 micrograms per milliliter), do not allow bacteria to remain on the surface of fibroblasts and prevent the formation of a bacterial film. Thus, the presence of caffeic and p-coumaric acids reduced the "adhesion" of caries-causing bacteria S.mutans to fibroblasts by 20 and 40 percent, respectively. The addition of a probiotic to polyphenols enhanced the effect and reduced the adhesion of the pathogen by 40-50 percent. P. gingivalis in the presence of polyphenols attached to the cells of the connective tissue of the gums by 30-50 percent worse, and F.nucleatum – by more than 50 percent. The same effect on the formation of the film of P.gingivalis and F.nucleatum was caused by extracts of red wine and grape seeds. But the red wine extract did not prevent S.mutans bacteria from accumulating on the surface of fibroblasts, and in high concentrations even increased the adhesion of microorganisms.
In the future, the researchers plan to simulate a system consisting of fibroblasts and several bacterial cultures and study the inter-bacterial interaction. And then proceed to the study of pathogenic bacteria of the oral microbiome in vivo, in living organisms.
Previously, doctors studied the spatial organization of colonies of microorganisms that form plaque. It turned out that bacteria form complex communities on the teeth, where each species has its own place and its own role.
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