Inhibitory effect of sorbitol on sugar metabolism of Streptococcus mutans in vitro and on acid production in dental plaque in vivo.
This study was conducted to find out whether sorbitol inhibits the sugar metabolism of Streptococcus mutans in vitro and the acid production in dental plaque in vivo. S. mutans NCIB 11723 was anaerobically grown in sorbitol-containing medium. The rate of acid production from sugars was estimated with a pH stat. The rate of acid production from glucose or sucrose was not changed at various concentrations of oxygen. By the addition of sorbitol to sugar, however, the acid production was decreased with increasing levels of oxygen. Intracellular NADH/NAD+ ratio and (dihydroxyacetone-phosphate+glyceraldehyde-phosphate)/3-phosphoglycerate ratio were high whenever the acid production was inhibited by sorbitol. Sorbitol also inhibited the acid production in dental plaque in vivo. These results suggest that the increased NADH/NAD+ ratio during sorbitol metabolism through the inactivation of pyruvate formate-lyase by oxygen inhibited glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase and then the acid production of S. mutans and the one in dental plaque.
Department of Oral Biochemistry, Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Sendai, 980-8575 Japan.
S
S
Takahashi-Abbe
K
K
Abbe
N
N
Takahashi
Y
Y
Tamazawa
T
T
Yamada
D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D017736:Ion-Selective Electrodes; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism
D005561:Formates; D009243:NAD; C030544:formic acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; D013012:Sorbitol; D013395:Sucrose; D019289:Pyruvic Acid; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; D000123:Acetyltransferases; C022560:formate C-acetyltransferase; D005947:Glucose; D019342:Acetic Acid; D010100:Oxygen