title: Curcumin inhibits the Sortase A activity of the Streptococcus mutans UA159.
abstract: Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) forms part of the commensal microflora and is deemed to be the major pathogen responsible for the generation of dental caries. The enzyme, sortase A enzyme, modulates the surface properties and cariogenicity of S. mutans. Curcumin has been reported to be an inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus sortase A. In this study, inhibition of a purified S. mutans UA159 sortase A by curcumin was evaluated. Curcumin exerted strong inhibitory activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 10.2 ± 0.7 μM which was lower than the minimum inhibitory concentration of 175 μM and the minimum bactericidal concentration of 350 μM. These results indicated that curcumin is a S. mutans UA159 sortase A inhibitor and therefore represents as a promising anticaries agent.
authors.affiliation: Center of Stomatology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095, Jiefang Road, Wuhan 430030, People's Republic of China, gloriaping@126.com.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wei Min
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases; C120542:sortase A; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D003474:Curcumin