title: MK615: a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of oral disease.
abstract: The oral cavity is inhabited by over 500 different bacterial species. Dental caries and periodontitis are major bacterial infectious diseases in the oral cavity. Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc., which is a variety of Japanese apricot known as Ume in Japanese, has been a traditional Japanese medicine for centuries, and is a familiar and commonly consumed food. The health benefits of Ume are now being widely recognized. Recent studies showed that MK615, an extract of compounds from Ume, has strong anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the potential role of MK615 in the antimicrobial field remains unknown. Therefore, we hypothesize that MK615 has antimicrobial activities against a range of oral bacterial pathogens. Here, we show that MK615 may be a potent inhibitor of the growth of some oral bacteria and an inhibitor of biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans, the principal etiological agent of human dental caries. Our findings suggest that MK615 has potential as a therapeutic agent for treating and preventing oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morimoto-Yamashita
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsuzawa
authors.forename: Ko-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tokuda
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D027861:Prunus / Q000737:chemistry*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; C517469:MK615 extract; D010936:Plant Extracts