In vitro anti-biofilm activity of macelignan isolated from Myristica fragrans Houtt. against oral primary colonizer bacteria

Phytother Res. 2008 Mar;22(3):308-12. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2312.

Abstract

In early dental plaque formation, oral primary colonizers such as Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis and Actinomyces viscosus are initially attached to the pellicle-coated tooth surface to form a biofilm. The study aimed to determine the efficacy of macelignan, isolated from nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.), in removing each single oral primary biofilm in vitro on a polystyrene 96-well microtiter plate. Four biofilm growth phases (4, 12, 20 and 24 h) were evaluated in this study after treatment with macelignan at various concentrations (0.2, 2 and 10 microg/mL) and exposure times (5, 10 and 30 min). Anti-biofilm activity of macelignan was measured as the percentage of the remaining biofilm absorbance after macelignan treatment in comparison with the untreated control. At 24 h of biofilm growth, S. mutans, A. viscosus and S. sanguis biofilms were reduced by up to 30%, 30% and 38%, respectively, after treatment with 10 microg/mL macelignan for 5 min. Increasing the treatment time to 30 min resulted in a reduction of more than 50% of each of the single primary biofilms. The results indicate that macelignan is a potent natural anti-biofilm agent against oral primary colonizers.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Biofilms / drug effects*
  • Cariostatic Agents / isolation & purification
  • Cariostatic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Chlorhexidine / analogs & derivatives
  • Chlorhexidine / pharmacology
  • Dental Caries / prevention & control
  • Gram-Positive Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Gram-Positive Bacteria / growth & development
  • Lignans / chemistry
  • Lignans / pharmacology*
  • Myristica / chemistry*
  • Phytotherapy
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Cariostatic Agents
  • Lignans
  • macelignan
  • chlorhexidine gluconate
  • Chlorhexidine