Anti-Biofilm Activity of Cannabigerol against Streptococcus mutans

Abstract

Streptococcus mutans is a common cariogenic bacterium in the oral cavity involved in plaque formation. Previous studies showed that Cannabigerol (CBG) has bacteriostatic and bacteriocidic activity against S. mutans. The aim of the present study was to study its effect on S. mutans biofilm formation and dispersion. S. mutans was cultivated in the presence of CBG, and the resulting biofilms were examined by CV staining, MTT assay, qPCR, biofilm tracer, optical profilometry, and SEM. Gene expression was determined by real-time qPCR, extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production was determined by Congo Red, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined using DCFH-DA. CBG prevented the biofilm formation of S. mutans shown by reduced biofilm biomass, decreased biofilm thickness, less EPS production, reduced DNA content, diminished metabolic activity, and increased ROS levels. CBG altered the biofilm roughness profile, resulting in a smoother biofilm surface. When treating preformed biofilms, CBG reduced the metabolic activity of S. mutans with a transient effect on the biomass. CBG reduced the expression of various genes involved in essential metabolic pathways related to the cariogenic properties of S. mutans biofilms. Our data show that CBG has anti-biofilm activities against S. mutans and might be a potential drug for preventive treatment of dental caries.

Anti-Microbial Activity of Phytocannabinoids and Endocannabinoids in the Light of Their Physiological and Pathophysiological Roles

“…Several phytocannabinoids have been shown to have anti-bacterial activities, especially on Gram-positive bacteria, including various antibiotic-resistant strains [58,59,62,63,101,220,[243][244][245][246][247] (Table 1). Phytocannabinoids have been shown to exert both bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects [61,62,244,247].…”

“…Phytocannabinoids have been shown to exert both bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects [61,62,244,247]. Most of the studies have analyzed the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) or minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for each of the compounds against different bacterial species, fungi, and protozoa, while only a few studies have looked at the underlying mechanisms [61,243,244,[247][248][249][250] (Figure 2). * BIC 50 = The test concentration that prevents 50% biofilm formation compared to control cells.…”

“…The majority of infectious diseases involve bacterial biofilms that are usually difficult to eradicate due to reduced antibiotic sensitivity [259,260]. Several studies show that CBD and CBG can prevent biofilm formation of various Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., MSSA, MRSA, Streptococcus mutans) [61,243,247]. The extent of anti-biofilm activity of CBD and CBG against these bacteria correlated with their anti-bacterial activity [61,243,244,247].…”

“…Several studies show that CBD and CBG can prevent biofilm formation of various Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., MSSA, MRSA, Streptococcus mutans) [61,243,247]. The extent of anti-biofilm activity of CBD and CBG against these bacteria correlated with their anti-bacterial activity [61,243,244,247]. In most cases, a similar concentration of these compounds was required to achieve both effects, suggesting that some of the anti-biofilm effect is caused by the anti-bacterial activity [61,243,244].…”

Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Properties of Three Resin-Based Dental Composites against Streptococcus mutans

“…Interestingly, the MTT assay on adherent cells led to concordant results: metabolic activity underwent a significant reduction following the exposure to all the tested composites, but it appeared relatively and slightly increased in presence of ES2 and VD, compared to that of VOCO. As observed by Aqawi et al, the metabolic activity-related reduction in preformed biofilm could be associated with the modification of membrane polarization [ 44 ].…”