Abstract
Fusobacterium nucleatum plays a key role in creating the pathogenic subgingival biofilm that initiates destructive periodontitis. It is also a common resident of the human gastrointestinal tract and has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of green and black tea extracts as well as two of their bioactive components, EGCG and theaflavins, on the growth and virulence properties of F. nucleatum. The tea extracts and components displayed various degrees of antibacterial activity that may involve damage to the bacterial cell membrane and the chelation of iron. They also prevented biofilm formation by F. nucleatum at concentrations that did not interfere with bacterial growth. In addition, the treatment of a pre-formed F. nucleatum biofilm with the green tea extract and EGCG caused a time-dependent decrease in biofilm viability. The green and black tea extracts, EGCG, and theaflavins decreased the adherence of F. nucleatum to oral epithelial cells and matrix proteins. Moreover, these tea components also attenuated F. nucleatum-mediated hemolysis and hydrogen sulfide production, two other virulence factors expressed by this bacterium. In summary, this study showed that tea polyphenols may be of interest for treating F. nucleatum-associated disorders.
Highlights
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth, leading to tooth loss
In a previous study[24], we used a macrophage model to show that tea polyphenols, including EGCG and theaflavins, can attenuate the inflammatory response induced by F. nucleatum
We first showed that the growth of F. nucleatum is inhibited by tea polyphenols, more efficiently by EGCG and theaflavins, with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 500 μg/ml
Summary
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth, leading to tooth loss. Fusobacterium nucleatum is a fusiform bacterium that increases in numbers in subgingival sites affected by chronic periodontitis[2]. Over the past few years, several studies have shown that this bacterial species increases in numbers in patients affected with inflammatory bowel disease and may contribute to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer[12,13,14]. Pre-treating macrophages with tea polyphenols prior to incubating them with F. nucleatum significantly inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases[24]. Given these findings indicating that tea polyphenols can attenuate the F. nucleatum-induced host inflammatory response, the aim of the present study was to investigate their effects on the growth and virulence properties of F. nucleatum
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