In vitro and in vivo evaluations of Chinese traditional (Kampo) medicines as anticalculus agents in the rat

Abstract

Inhibitory effects of two Chinese traditional (Kampo) medicines, Shigyaku-san and Shikunshito, on the in vitro formation of calcium phosphate precipitates and the in vivo deposition of supragingival dental calculus were studied. Both had inhibitory effects on hydroxyapatite transformation and induction; effects of Shigyaku-san and Shikunshi-to were 1 100 and 1 400 of that of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (HEBP). When used topically (in drinking water) for 4 weeks, 20–40 mg/ml of Shigyaku-san or Shikunshi-to reduced the formation of dental calculus by 40–60%, while 0.03% (w/v) HEBP decreased it by 70–98%. However, when these drugs were given by gastric intubation for 2 weeks, they were all ineffective, suggesting that the observed anticalculus effects were of topical rather than of systemic origin.