P.betle and Its Effect on Sucrose Dependent Adherence of S.mutans

To date, very little information is available about Piper betle (P. betle) that are associated with anti-adherence activity towards oral microorganisms. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of crude aqueous P. betle leaves extract on the sucrose dependent adherence of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) ATCC 25175. Methods: Crude P. betle leaves extract (CA) was prepared by decoction. The effect of the extract on the adhering property of S. mutans was determined from the number of bacterial cells grown on glass surface in BHI broth in the presence of sucrose and the extract. The glucan formation was investigated by measuring the cell-associated glucosyltransferase (CAG) activity via the amount of water-insoluble glucan formed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to further observe the effect of the extract on the glucan formation. Results: It was shown that the extract exhibited inhibitory effect on the adhering property of S. mutans. At a concentration of 4 mg/ml of CA, the cell-adherence was reduced by 56.9 ± 4.1%. The CA extract also showed inhibitory effect towards CAG activity by almost 50 % at 1.5 mg/ml and almost 70 % at 2.5 mg/ml. Hence the effect is concentration dependent. From the SEM micrograph, it was shown that the glucan formation was reduced in the presence of the extract. Conclusion: The inhibitory effect of CA extract on the adhering property of Streptococcus mutans and glucan formation suggest that it may have a role in the control of dental plaque formation and subsequently, dental caries formation.