Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i>
<i>Streptococcus mutans</i> is a cariogenic bacterium in the oral cavity involved in plaque formation and dental caries. The endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), a naturally occurring bioactive lipid, has been shown to have anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities against <i>Staphyl...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/7/6177 |
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| author | Goldie Wolfson Ronit Vogt Sionov Reem Smoum Maya Korem Itzhack Polacheck Doron Steinberg |
| author_facet | Goldie Wolfson Ronit Vogt Sionov Reem Smoum Maya Korem Itzhack Polacheck Doron Steinberg |
| author_sort | Goldie Wolfson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> is a cariogenic bacterium in the oral cavity involved in plaque formation and dental caries. The endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), a naturally occurring bioactive lipid, has been shown to have anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. We aimed here to study its effects on <i>S. mutans</i> viability, biofilm formation and extracellular polysaccharide substance (EPS) production. <i>S. mutans</i> were cultivated in the absence or presence of various concentrations of AEA, and the planktonic growth was followed by changes in optical density (OD) and colony-forming units (CFU). The resulting biofilms were examined by MTT metabolic assay, Crystal Violet (CV) staining, spinning disk confocal microscopy (SDCM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM). The EPS production was determined by Congo Red and fluorescent dextran staining. Membrane potential and membrane permeability were determined by diethyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC2(3)) and SYTO 9/propidium iodide (PI) staining, respectively, using flow cytometry. We observed that AEA was bactericidal to <i>S. mutans</i> at 12.5 µg/mL and prevented biofilm formation at the same concentration. AEA reduced the biofilm thickness and biomass with concomitant reduction in total EPS production, although there was a net increase in EPS per bacterium. Preformed biofilms were significantly affected at 50 µg/mL AEA. We further show that AEA increased the membrane permeability and induced membrane hyperpolarization of these bacteria. AEA caused <i>S. mutans</i> to become elongated at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Gene expression studies showed a significant increase in the cell division gene <i>ftsZ</i>. The concentrations of AEA needed for the anti-bacterial effects were below the cytotoxic concentration for normal Vero epithelial cells. Altogether, our data show that AEA has anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities against <i>S. mutans</i> and may have a potential role in preventing biofilms as a therapeutic measure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:35:45Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:35:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
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| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-4fe8a75b87a74214b1ec2a54ee28c9182023-11-17T16:47:26ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-03-01247617710.3390/ijms24076177Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i>Goldie Wolfson0Ronit Vogt Sionov1Reem Smoum2Maya Korem3Itzhack Polacheck4Doron Steinberg5Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, IsraelInstitute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, IsraelInstitute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 9112001, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 9112001, IsraelInstitute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel<i>Streptococcus mutans</i> is a cariogenic bacterium in the oral cavity involved in plaque formation and dental caries. The endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), a naturally occurring bioactive lipid, has been shown to have anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. We aimed here to study its effects on <i>S. mutans</i> viability, biofilm formation and extracellular polysaccharide substance (EPS) production. <i>S. mutans</i> were cultivated in the absence or presence of various concentrations of AEA, and the planktonic growth was followed by changes in optical density (OD) and colony-forming units (CFU). The resulting biofilms were examined by MTT metabolic assay, Crystal Violet (CV) staining, spinning disk confocal microscopy (SDCM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM). The EPS production was determined by Congo Red and fluorescent dextran staining. Membrane potential and membrane permeability were determined by diethyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC2(3)) and SYTO 9/propidium iodide (PI) staining, respectively, using flow cytometry. We observed that AEA was bactericidal to <i>S. mutans</i> at 12.5 µg/mL and prevented biofilm formation at the same concentration. AEA reduced the biofilm thickness and biomass with concomitant reduction in total EPS production, although there was a net increase in EPS per bacterium. Preformed biofilms were significantly affected at 50 µg/mL AEA. We further show that AEA increased the membrane permeability and induced membrane hyperpolarization of these bacteria. AEA caused <i>S. mutans</i> to become elongated at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Gene expression studies showed a significant increase in the cell division gene <i>ftsZ</i>. The concentrations of AEA needed for the anti-bacterial effects were below the cytotoxic concentration for normal Vero epithelial cells. Altogether, our data show that AEA has anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities against <i>S. mutans</i> and may have a potential role in preventing biofilms as a therapeutic measure.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/7/6177<i>S. mutans</i>anandamideanti-bacterialanti-biofilmendocannabinoids |
| spellingShingle | Goldie Wolfson Ronit Vogt Sionov Reem Smoum Maya Korem Itzhack Polacheck Doron Steinberg Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> International Journal of Molecular Sciences <i>S. mutans</i> anandamide anti-bacterial anti-biofilm endocannabinoids |
| title | Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> |
| title_full | Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> |
| title_fullStr | Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> |
| title_short | Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of Anandamide against the Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> |
| title_sort | anti bacterial and anti biofilm activities of anandamide against the cariogenic i streptococcus mutans i |
| topic | <i>S. mutans</i> anandamide anti-bacterial anti-biofilm endocannabinoids |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/7/6177 |
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