Changes in the Composition of Unstimulated and Stimulated Saliva Due to Chewing Sour Cherry Gum and a Toothbrush Change.

BACKGROUND

Our previous studies demonstrated that sour cherry anthocyanins (AC) reduce the salivary count of and inhibit salivary amylase activity within 30 minutes after chewing AC gum. AC gum and changing toothbrushes after scaling reduced the Gram-negative species in the unstimulated salivary microbiota. The present study examined the effect of AC gums on salivary factors, including changes in microbiome.

METHODS

The study was conducted over three weeks with two groups; young adults (18-30) and adults (30-45). Ten participants changed their toothbrushes, while the other 10 participants did not change after the control period. After scaling, all participants received three doses of AC gum daily. The salivary mRNA and protein levels of cytokines, mucins, melatonin, and the microbiota of unstimulated and stimulated saliva were determined by polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

RESULTS

Significantly higher levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), mucin5B (MUC5B), mucin7 (MUC7), and melatonin were detected in stimulated saliva. Correlation analysis of these factors with the microbiota showed positive correlations with the genera , , _(TM7), , , and .

CONCLUSIONS

AC chewing gum has a beneficial effect on the composition of the oral microbiome, and toothbrush replacement leads to changes in the levels of salivary pro-inflammatory cytokines.