Investigation Of Antibacterial Activity Against Dental Caries Pathogen Streptococcus Mutans Of Medicinal Plants Grown In Vietnam

Natural antibacterial compounds have been used in oral health care products for the effective control of dental caries. The aim of this study is to find new antibacterial agents from plants of Vietnam with improved protection against dental caries. Based on the traditional medicine experience, we screened for antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans medicinal plant extracts using simple pH drop assay in excess glucose containing medium. Among 22 plant extracts investigated, the samples extracted with ethanol from the peels of mangosteen Garcinia mangostana L. and  Hopea odorata Roxb. showed strong inhibition of acid production by S. mutans. The effect of ethanolic extract from Garcinia mangostana L. (GC) on S. mutans were further examined on biofilm formation of the bacteria. The data demonstrated that the extracts repressed markedly the biofilm formation of S. mutans. At 0.05% GC (ethanolic powder), the biomass weight of biofilm were about 51% of the control biomass and the formation was inhibited up to 57% at 0.1% GC. Moreover, glycosyltransferase (GTF) activity, the key enzyme for the formation of biofilm, was significantly inhibited by GC. The soluble enzyme activity of both GTFB and GTFC was inhibited by 50% at concentration of 0.1% GC and 90% at concentration of 0.5%. For the surface enzyme activity, only 50% total activity of GTFB and GTFC was remained after the biofilms were treated with 0.5% GC. The overall conclusion is that Garcinia mangostana L extract in ethanol strongly inhibited the biofilm formation of S. mutans and could have a beneficial use for the development of dental health care products. Supported by IFS award 2006.

Keyword: Medicinal plants, Streptococcus mutans.

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