Salivary Microbiota Shifts under Sustained Consumption of Oolong Tea in Healthy Adults.

Zhibin Liu,Wen Zhang,Li Ni,Hongwen Guo

doi:10.3390/nu12040966

Zhibin Liu, Wen Zhang + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12040966

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Abstract

Tea is the most widely consumed beverages next to water, however little is known about the influence of sustained tea consumption on the oral bacteria of healthy adults. In this study, three oral healthy adults were recruited and instructed to consume 1.0 L of oolong tea infusions (total polyphenol content, 2.83 g/L) daily, for eight weeks. Salivary microbiota pre-, peri-, and post-treatment were fully compared by high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and multivariate statistical analysis. It was revealed that oolong tea consumption reduced salivary bacterial diversity and the population of some oral disease related bacteria, such as Streptococcus sp., Prevotella nanceiensis, Fusobacterium periodonticum, Alloprevotella rava, and Prevotella elaninogenica. Moreover, via correlation network and Venn diagram analyses, seven bacterial taxa, including Streptococcus sp. (OTU_1), Ruminococcaceae sp. (OTU_33), Haemophilus sp. (OTU_696), Veillonella spp. (OTU_133 and OTU_23), Actinomyces odontolyticus (OTU_42), and Gemella haemolysans (OTU_6), were significantly altered after oolong tea consumption, and presented robust strong connections (|r| > 0.9 and p < 0.05) with other oral microbiota. These results suggest sustained oolong tea consumption would modulate salivary microbiota and generate potential oral pathogen preventative benefits. Additionally, diverse responses to oolong tea consumption among subjects were also noticed.

Highlights

An estimation of 700 diverse bacterial species have been identified in human oral cavities, which constitute complex microbial communities [1]
As an integral part of oral microbiota, salivary microbiota has been found to be differentiated between patients with a healthy oral cavity and those with dental caries and periodontitis [3]
The total polyphenols content and phenolic profile of the oolong tea infusion used in this study were determined, and the results indicated that the total polyphenol content of the tea infusion was 2.83

Summary

Introduction

An estimation of 700 diverse bacterial species have been identified in human oral cavities, which constitute complex microbial communities [1]. These bacteria generally inhabit at different oral niches, including saliva, supragingival plaque, subgingival plaque, and mucosa. Of these niches, saliva harbors as much as 108 bacteria/mL and constitutes a reservoir of microorganisms regularly derived from dental plaque biofilms adhering to gingival crevices, periodontal pockets, the dorsum of the tongue, and other oral mucosal surfaces [2]. Several studies discovered marked clinical importance of salivary microbiota on the general health of the host, such as by either preventing or causing infections [4].

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