Anti-adhesive effect of red wine on Streptococcus mutans adesive properties on saliva coated hydroxyapatite beads

Wine contains a number of biologically active compounds with beneficial effects on human health. The antioxidant and antiradical properties, particularly of red wine, attributed mainly to a high polyphenol content, appear to protect against the risk of coronary heart disease and cancer. Wine also possesses in vitro antibacterial activity against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. In our previous research red and white wine were proved to exert antibacterial activity against several oral streptococci and to induce postcontact effects against S. mutans. Succinic, malic, lactic, tartaric, citric, and acetic acid exhibited antibacterial and postcontact activities and can therefore be collectively considered responsible for these properties. Several strains of oral streptococci are capable of initiating formation of dental plaque, which plays an important role in the development of caries and periodontal disease in humans. Streptococcus mutans, a potent cariogenic, can colonize tooth surfaces and initiate plaque formation by its ability to synthesize extracellular polysaccharides from sucrose using glucosyltransferase. A crucial step in the initiation and development of dental caries is the adhesion of cariogenic bacteria to tooth surfaces. In this study, the effects of red wine have been evaluated on the cariogenic streptococci capacity of adhesion to hydroxyapatite beads in presence and in absence of sugar. The present work shows that red wine inhibits the S. mutans and other cariogenic bacteria adsorption to hydroxyapatite. The red wine polyphenol components were fractionated according to their degree of polymerization. The fraction responsible for the wine inhibition activity was wine fraction containing anthocyanins and polymeric proanthocyanidins. Conversely, the other fractions containing organic acids and polyphenol compounds, such as cathechin and oligomeric proanthocyanidins, showed no activity. These results indicate that red wine could have beneficial effects on caries prevention by hampering the adhesion of cariogenic streptococci.