Antimicrobial Activity of Berberine against Oral Bacteria Related to Endodontic Infections.
- Author:
Dongkyun LEE
1
;
Min Jung KIM
;
Soon Nang PARK
;
Yun Kyong LIM
;
Jeong Beom MIN
;
Ho Keel HWANG
;
Joong Ki KOOK
Author Information
1. Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Korea.
- Publication Type:In Vitro ; Original Article
- Keywords:
Antimicrobial effect;
berberine;
endodontic infection
- MeSH:
Aggregatibacter;
Bacteria*;
Berberine*;
Cell Survival;
Enterococcus faecalis;
Fibroblasts;
Forsythia;
Humans;
Indicators and Reagents;
Microbial Sensitivity Tests;
Prevotella intermedia;
Prevotella nigrescens
- From:International Journal of Oral Biology
2013;38(4):141-147
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
It has been established that berberine has strong antimicrobial effects. Little is known however regarding the antimicrobial activity of berberine against endodontic pathogenic bacteria or its cytotoxicity in human oral tissue cells. The antibacterial properties of berberine were tested against 5 strains of Enterococcus faecalis and type strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella nigrescens, Prevotella intermedia, and Tannerella forsythia, which are involved in endodontic infections. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) measurements. The viability of normal human gingival fibroblast (NHGF) cells after exposure to berberine was measured using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The data showed that berberine has antimicrobial effects against A. actinomycetemcomitans with an MIC and MBC of 12.5 microg/ml and 25 microg/ml, respectively. In the cytotoxicity studies, cell viability was maintained at 66.1% following exposure to 31.3 microg/ml berberine. Overall, these findings suggest that berberine has antimicrobial activity against the tested bacteria. Nevertheless, lower concentrations in combination with other reagents will need to be tested before these in vitro results can be translated to clinical use.
