Potential antigingivitis activity of shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) extract

Gingivitis is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases of humans, affecting most of the population at some point during their lives, that has long been implicated as a potential precursor to periodontitis. It is caused by the buildup of the plaque biofilm at the gingival margin. Due to poor oral hygiene among the general population, gingivitis is prevalent and results in high treatment costs; so, the option of treating gingivitis using functional foods, which promote oral health, is an attractive one. The funding from the European Union’s Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) under the Contract no. FOOD-CT-2006-036210 (Project NUTRIDENT) let us study a number of food/beverage potentially active against both caries and gingivitis, among which shiitake mushroom that has been studied for its antioxidant, antitumor properties, and antibacterial properties, but it has not as yet been assessed for its oral health benefits. In the present study, a set of assays was used to monitor the bacterial community structure changes within an in vitro gingivitis model and to assess the effect of shiitake mushroom extract on these communities. The comparison of the different treatments applied in the model system has given a valuable insight into the community dynamics of dental plaque as well as an indication of the efficacy of the treatments. Shiitake mushroom extract was shown to be effective at reducing the numbers of the oral pathogen F. nucleatum. The shiitake mushroom fractionation by chromatographic techniques has allowed the isolation of the components most responsible for the registered activities.