Evaluating the effects of red wine and polyphenol-rich extracts on periodontal pathogens

Spanish researchers evaluated the antimicrobial activity of red wine and polyphenol-rich enological extracts against periodontal pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Fusobacterium nucleatum, as well as total bacteria growing in an in vitro oral biofilm static model. Their findings were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Previous studies show that polyphenols are effective against a variety of pathogens.
• However, their activity against periodontal pathogens has not yet been explored.
• For their study, the researchers used a previously validated biofilm model consisting of Streptococcus oralis, Actinomyces naeslundii, Veillonella parvula, F. nucleatum, P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans. This model was developed on sterile hydroxyapatite discs.
• The researchers dipped the discs for one to five minutes in two wine solutions — red wine and dealcoholized red wine — and for 30 seconds to one minute in enological extracts (i.e., a polyphenol-rich wine extract and a polyphenol-rich grape seed extract). Exposure time was 72 hours.
• Then, they analyzed the resulting biofilms using confocal laser scanning microscopy and measured the number of viable bacteria using quantitative polymerase chain reaction combined with propidium monoazide.
• They constructed a generalized linear model to determine the effect of red wine and the enological extracts on viable bacterial counts of the periodontal pathogens, as well on the total number of viable bacteria.
• The researchers found that both red wine and dealcoholized red wine reduced the viability of total bacteria within the biofilm.
• Reductions in the number of viable P. gingivalis after one minute, and A. actinomycetemcomitans after five minutes of exposure to both solutions were statistically significant.
• Meanwhile, the researchers found no evidence of the enological extracts exerting relevant antibacterial effects except on F. nucleatum, whose viability decreased after 30 seconds of exposure.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that red wine and enological extracts are promising antimicrobial agents for the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases.

Read the full study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Sanchez MC, Ribeiro-Vidal H, Esteban-Fernandez A, Bartolome B, Figuero E, Moreno-Arribas MV, Sanz M, Herrera D. ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF RED WINE AND OENOLOGICAL EXTRACTS AGAINST PERIODONTAL PATHOGENS IN A VALIDATED ORAL BIOFILM MODEL. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 21 June 2019;19(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2533-5