Fluoride, triclosan and organic weak acids as modulators of the arginine deiminase system in biofilms and suspension cells of oral streptococci

Factors associated with alkali production from arginine in dental biofilms

Alkali production by oral bacteria in the oral cavity has been linked to protection against dental caries. The current study assessed various parameters associated with ammonium produced during arginine catabolism in dental biofilms. Polymicrobial biofilms were formed with saliva as the inoculum. The NH(3) level and the pH of the spent medium were used to monitor and quantitate the bacterial reactions. The presence of sucrose, a low buffer capacity, and a low pH (≤ pH 4.5) were found to hamper alkali production from arginine. The rate of alkali production exhibited an optimum around pH 5.5. Biofilms were found to produce NH(3) also from polypeptides and proteins in the medium. The biofilm age affected these processes. The experimental model proved valuable for the assessment of the collective bacterial reactions determining the overall pH outcome. This experimental approach could bridge the gap in our knowledge between pH-rise phenomena and caries susceptibility from clinical observations and studies performed on alkali-producing bacteria in well- controlled, though simplified, in vitro models. Analysis of our data supports the hypothesis that the initiation and progression of dental caries may be influenced by the relative rates of acid and base formation, which critically depend on the aforementioned parameters.

Antimicrobial actions of α-mangostin against oral streptococci

The increasing prevalence of dental caries is making it more of a major world health problem. Caries is the direct result of acid production by cariogenic oral bacteria, especially Streptococcus mutans. New and better antimicrobial agents active against cariogenic bacteria are badly needed, especially natural agents derived directly from plants. We have evaluated the inhibitory actions of α-mangostin, a xanthone purified from ethanolic extracts of the tropical plant Garcinia mangostana L., by repeated silica gel chromatography. α-Mangostin was found to be a potent inhibitor of acid production by S. mutans UA159, active against membrane enzymes, including the F(H+)-ATPase and the phosphoenolpyruvate - sugar phosphotransferase system. α-Mangostin also inhibited the glycolytic enzymes aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and lactic dehydrogenase. Glycolysis by intact cells in suspensions or biofilms was inhibited by α-mangostin at concentrations of 12 and 120 µmol·L⁻¹, respectively, in a pH-dependent manner, with greater potency at lower pH values. Other targets for inhibition by α-mangostin included (i) malolactic fermentation, involved in alkali production from malate, and (ii) NADH oxidase, the major respiratory enzyme for S. mutans. The overall conclusion is that α-mangostin is a multitarget inhibitor of mutans streptococci and may be useful as an anticaries agent.