Publicação
The role of L-arginine in the modulation of oral biofilms in periodontal disease
| Resumo: | Periodontitis is an infectious oral disease and remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide. Although the exact microbial aetiology is unknown, oral biofilms, also known as dental plaque, seem to play an important role in the development of this disease. Studies already shown that bacterial composition of dental biofilms differs between healthy and diseased sites. To date, the occurrence of this disease is associated with three main factors: (1) the presence of pathogenic bacteria, (2) the absence of beneficial bacteria and (3) the susceptibility of the host. This research project focussed on evaluating the interaction with the outgrowth of beneficial bacteria, where selective nutritional stimulation, here referred to as prebiotics, aimed to modulate oral biofilms by stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria and, thereby, supress the outgrowth of pathogens, shifting a complex microbiota towards a more healthy-associated composition. The effect of the amino acid L-arginine on selective stimulation of beneficial oral bacteria was tested in single-, dual- and multi-species assays. Further, it was investigated if L-arginine may prevent pathogen incorporation into established biofilms. It was demonstrated that L-arginine treatment could selectively trigger the outgrowth of beneficial bacteria throughout the experiments, leading to a shift in multi-species biofilms in vitro. Although a direct preventive effect of L-arginine could not be observed, continuous treatment showed a reduction in the pathogenic proportion in the complex microbial biofilms. Also, it was demonstrated that predictions about multi-species assays cannot be made based on the results obtained with single and dual-species assays. In conclusion, this study showed that L-arginine has a promising potential to be used as a prebiotic compound in oral health, especially to treat periodontitis, as it is able to modulate oral biofilms towards a more beneficial state. However, in vivo studies are necessary to confirm the observed in vitro prebiotic effect. |
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| Autores principais: | Macedo, Maria Helena Rodrigues |
| Assunto: | Oral health Periodontal disease Biofilm Periodontopathogens Prebiotics L-arginine Saúde ora Doença periodontal Biofilme Prebióticos L-arginina |
| Ano: | 2016 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade do Minho |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho |
| Resumo: | Periodontitis is an infectious oral disease and remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide. Although the exact microbial aetiology is unknown, oral biofilms, also known as dental plaque, seem to play an important role in the development of this disease. Studies already shown that bacterial composition of dental biofilms differs between healthy and diseased sites. To date, the occurrence of this disease is associated with three main factors: (1) the presence of pathogenic bacteria, (2) the absence of beneficial bacteria and (3) the susceptibility of the host. This research project focussed on evaluating the interaction with the outgrowth of beneficial bacteria, where selective nutritional stimulation, here referred to as prebiotics, aimed to modulate oral biofilms by stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria and, thereby, supress the outgrowth of pathogens, shifting a complex microbiota towards a more healthy-associated composition. The effect of the amino acid L-arginine on selective stimulation of beneficial oral bacteria was tested in single-, dual- and multi-species assays. Further, it was investigated if L-arginine may prevent pathogen incorporation into established biofilms. It was demonstrated that L-arginine treatment could selectively trigger the outgrowth of beneficial bacteria throughout the experiments, leading to a shift in multi-species biofilms in vitro. Although a direct preventive effect of L-arginine could not be observed, continuous treatment showed a reduction in the pathogenic proportion in the complex microbial biofilms. Also, it was demonstrated that predictions about multi-species assays cannot be made based on the results obtained with single and dual-species assays. In conclusion, this study showed that L-arginine has a promising potential to be used as a prebiotic compound in oral health, especially to treat periodontitis, as it is able to modulate oral biofilms towards a more beneficial state. However, in vivo studies are necessary to confirm the observed in vitro prebiotic effect. |
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