Department of Food and Nutrition, Wonkwang University, Iksan, South Korea.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Sep 2;137(2):979-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.015. Epub 2011 Jul 18.
Aralia continentalis has been used in traditional Korean medicine for dental diseases such as toothache, dental caries, periodontal disease and gingivitis, and also has been used for neuralgia, analgesia, sweating, and as an antirheumatic.
The present study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Aralia continentalis extract on cariogenic properties of Streptococcus mutans, which is one of the most important bacteria in the formation of dental caries and dental plaque.
The inhibitory effects of Aralia continentalis extract on the growth, acid production, water-insoluble glucan synthesis, and adhesion were investigated in Streptococcus mutans. The biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and safranin staining.
The ethanol extract of Aralia continentalis showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity on the growth of Streptococcus mutans and significant inhibition of acid production at the concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg/ml compared to the control group. The synthesis of water-insoluble glucan by glucosyltransferase (GTFase) was decreased in the presence of 0.5-4 mg/ml of the extract of Aralia continentalis. The extract markedly inhibited Streptococcus mutans adherence to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads (S-HAs). The extract of Aralia continentalis has an inhibitory effect on the formation of Streptococcus mutans biofilms at the concentrations higher than 2mg/ml.
These results suggest that Aralia continentalis may inhibit cariogenic properties of Streptococcus mutans, and also may support the scientific rationale that native inhabitants used the extract for the treatment of dental diseases.
刺五加在传统韩国医学中被用于治疗牙齿疾病，如牙痛、龋齿、牙周病和牙龈炎，也被用于治疗神经痛、镇痛、发汗和抗风湿。
本研究旨在探讨刺五加提取物对变形链球菌致龋特性的抑制作用，变形链球菌是形成龋齿和牙菌斑的最重要细菌之一。
研究了刺五加提取物对变形链球菌生长、产酸、水不溶性葡聚糖合成和黏附的抑制作用。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和沙利文染色法测定变形链球菌生物膜的形成。
刺五加乙醇提取物对变形链球菌的生长表现出浓度依赖性抑制活性，并在 0.25、0.5、1、2 和 4mg/ml 的浓度下显著抑制产酸，与对照组相比。在 0.5-4mg/ml 刺五加提取物存在的情况下，葡糖基转移酶（GTFase）合成的水不溶性葡聚糖减少。提取物显著抑制变形链球菌对唾液包被羟磷灰石珠（S-HAs）的黏附。刺五加提取物对变形链球菌生物膜形成的抑制作用在浓度高于 2mg/ml 时更为明显。
这些结果表明，刺五加可能抑制变形链球菌的致龋特性，也支持了当地人用提取物治疗口腔疾病的科学依据。
