Browsing by Subject "S. mutans"

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    Determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Fulvic Acid on Early Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Formation
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Tahir, Ali; Witcher, Phillip; Gregory, Richard L.
    Fulvic acid is an active ingredient in many homeopathic treatments. Shilajit is one such treatment that is mainly used in the Indian Subcontinent area. It is believed that fulvic acid has some remedial properties that can help with inhibition of many types of bacteria and various malignant diseases. In this experiment the effects of fulvic acid were analyzed on early Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation. S. mutans is an oral bacterium that contributes to the formation of dental caries forming bacterial biofilm on teeth. For the experiment, early S. mutans biofilm formation was treated with different concentrations of fulvic acid for 24 hours in sterile 96-well flat-bottom microtiter plates. The optical density (OD) of the S. mutans biofilm was then measured using a SpectraMax190, after staining with crystal violet. Data was analyzed on the knowledge that a greater OD is correlated to a greater bacterial biofilm. Results demonstrated that fulvic acid inhibited the growth of early S. mutans biofilm formation at fulvic acid concentrations greater than 5% (vol. %). After preliminary studies, different concentrations of fulvic acid closer to the estimated minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were applied to the S. mutans to find a more precise MIC of the fulvic acid on the biofilm growth. Upon completion of these various studies, fulvic acid was shown to inhibit early S. mutans biofilm formation and may show signs of oral health improvement if applied for human use.
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    Effect of Commonly Prescribed Liquid Medications on Streptococcus mutans Biofilm. An in vitro study
    (Massage Therapy Foundation and the Registered Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia., 2017) Clark, Samantha A.; Vinson, LaQuia A.; Eckert, George; Gregory, Richard L.; Biomedical and Applied Sciences, School of Dentistry
    Objective: This study addressed the effect of pediatric liquid antibiotic medications on Streptococcus mutans UA159. These suspensions commonly contain sugars such as sucrose to make them more palatable for children. The study was designed to evaluate the effects of oral liquid antibiotics on Streptococcus mutans growth and biofilm formation. Study Design: A 24 hour culture of S. mutans was treated with various concentrations of liquid medications commonly prescribed to children for odontogenic or fungal infections– amoxicillin, penicillin VK, clindamycin, and nystatin. The study was conducted in sterile 96-well flat bottom microtiter plates. The minimum inhibitory and biofilm inhibitory concentrations (MIC/MBIC) of S. mutans were determined for each medication. S. mutans was cultured with and without the test drugs, the amount of total growth measured, the biofilms washed, fixed, and stained with crystal violet. The absorbance was determined to evaluate biofilm formation. Results: Higher concentrations of amoxicillin, penicillin VK and clindamycin had decreased biofilm and overall growth than the control. The MICs were 1:2,560 (1.95 ug/ml), 1:2,560 (1.95 ug/ml) and 1:40 (9.375 ug/ml), while the MBIC were 1:640 (7.8 ug/ml), 1:1,280 (3.9 ug/ml) and 1:20 (18.75 ug/ml), respectively. Lower concentrations provided increased biofilm and overall growth. Nystatin induced significantly more biofilm and overall growth than the control at all concentrations. Conclusion: At high concentrations, approximately at the levels expected to be present in the oral cavity of children, amoxicillin, penicillin, and clindamycin inhibited S. mutans biofilm and overall growth due to their antibiotic activity, while at lower concentrations the three antibiotics demonstrated an increase in biofilm and growth. The increase in S. mutans biofilm and overall growth is most likely attributed to the sugar content in the medications. Nystatin provided an increase in biofilm and growth at each concentration tested.
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    The Effects of Fulvic Acid on Established Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Formation and Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Parker, Emily; Gregory, Richard L.; Windsor, L. Jack; Alavanja, Branko
    Shilajit is a traditional medicine used in Asian countries for centuries to treat numerous health conditions, including bone/cartilage repair and regeneration. Prior research suggests that a major active component of shilajit- fulvic acid- may reduce bacteria in the oral cavity, as in a mouth wash. Because shilajit stimulates connective tissue repair and fulvic acid may inhibit bacteria, the effect of fulvic acid on the caries-forming biofilm bacterium, Streptococcus mutans, and on gingival fibroblast cells, which mediate connective tissue in repair/regeneration in periodontal disease, was examined. The goal of this research was to determine whether repeated short-term applications of fulvic acid to S. mutans biofilm reduced the amount of established bacteria and to find the concentration of fulvic acid that may inhibit gingival fibroblast cell growth. In the bacterial study, S. mutans biofilm was grown, and 8 different dilutions of fulvic acid were applied to the same biofilm groups for 10 minutes each day over a 3-day period. Upon crystal violet staining, the optical density (OD) of the wells was obtained using a spectrophotometer. Higher concentrations of fulvic acid demonstrated stronger inhibition on S. mutans biofilm formation. 0.04% repeated applications of fulvic acid resulted in a 2-fold decrease in S. mutans biofilm formation, which is not observed with a single application. In the gingival fibroblast cell study, cell toxicity and proliferation were examined utilizing LDH and WST-1 assays, respectively. It was determined that an 0.5% solution of fulvic acid had no effects on cell variability and proliferation. This concentration will be used to examine the effect of fulvic acid on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from gingival fibroblasts, since the MMPs are involved in tissue degradation and repair. This study demonstrates that fulvic acid has significant antibacterial effects and may be safe for oral use up to a certain concentration.
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    Effects of Tobacco Components on Streptococcus mutans and the Role of S. mutans in Apoptotic Cell Death through Macrophage Interactions
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Cavazos, Ana; Batarseh, Ghada; Windsor, L. Jack; Gregory, Richard L.
    Cigarettes have thousands of components aside from tobacco and nicotine that are harmful to the smoker’s body. Smoking is considered a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and periodontal disease. One of the aims of this study is to determine the effect of different tobacco components on the growth of S. mutans. S. mutans is an oral bacteria found in most humans that is considered to be the causative agent for dental caries. S. mutans can potentially lead to the inflammation of the heart and arteries which can turn to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a complex inflammatory disease and is the leading cause of death in the United States. Inflammation is the main concern as it has a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. Irritation can be caused by the relationship of bacteria like S. mutans with macrophages and other white blood cells defending against foreign pathogens. The main focus of the research in this specific project is to establish how macrophage interactions with S. mutans are causing apoptosis in the endothelial cells lining the arteries and veins. Apoptosis is programmed, energy-dependent cell death that causes cells to shrink with no loss of the membrane integrity. The long term goal of this study is to determine if smokers are at higher risk of being diagnosed with atherosclerosis in correlation to S. mutans and tobacco components. Apoptosis is studied by the determination of apoptotic mediator levels. Apoptotic mediators allow for the measurement of cell death. This allows for the configuration of the data presented.