Antibacterial Activity and Anti-Biofilm Effect of Chitosan against Strains of Streptococcus Mutans Isolated in Dental Plaque

Streptococcus mutans is the major cause of dental plaque and is often associated with biofilm formation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the activity of a hydrosoluble derivative of chitosan against S. mutans biofilms in vitro and in vivo. Strains of S. mutans were isolated from the dental plaq...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology 2008-10, Vol.21 (4), p.993-997
Main Authors: Pasquantonio, G., Greco, C., Prenna, M., Ripa, C., Vitali, L.A., Petrelli, D., Di Luca, M.C., Ripa, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Biofilms
Chitosan - pharmacology
Dental Plaque - microbiology
Female
Humans
Male
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Middle Aged
Streptococcus mutans
Streptococcus mutans - drug effects
Streptococcus mutans - growth & development
Streptococcus mutans - isolation & purification
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Summary:Streptococcus mutans is the major cause of dental plaque and is often associated with biofilm formation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the activity of a hydrosoluble derivative of chitosan against S. mutans biofilms in vitro and in vivo. Strains of S. mutans were isolated from the dental plaque of 84 patients enrolled in the study. The antibacterial activity of chitosan was determined by broth microdilutions. The effect of chitosan at different concentrations and exposure times on S. mutans biofilms at different phases of development was assessed by a clinical study using the classical “4-day plaque regrowth” experiment in adult volunteers. The MIC values of chitosan were between 0.5 and 2 g/L. Compared to distilled water, the chitosan solution significantly decreased the vitality of plaque microflora (p≤0.05). Chlorhexidine, used as a positive control, reduced vitality even further. The results showed that S. mutans in the adhesion phase (4 h) was completely inhibited by chitosan at any concentration (0.1, 0.2, 0.5XMIC) or exposure time investigated (1, 15, 30, 60 min), while S. mutans at successive stages of accumulation (12–24 h) was inhibited only by higher concentrations and longer exposure times. These data confirm the effective action of chitosan against S. mutans biofilms.
ISSN:0394-6320
2058-7384
DOI:10.1177/039463200802100424