Journal of Environmental Biology

The antibacterial activity of various saturated and unsaturated

fatty acids against several oral pathogens

Jae-Suk Choi1, Nam-Hee Park2, Seon-Yeong Hwang2, Jae Hak Sohn3, Inseok Kwak4,

Kwang Keun Cho5?and In Soon Choi1,4*

1RIS Center, Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Silla University, Busan 617-736, Republic of Korea

2Gijang Local Products Co. Ltd., Ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun, Busan 619-911, Republic of Korea

3Department of Biofood Materials, Silla University, Sasang-gu, Busan 617-736, Republic of Korea

4?Depertment of Biological Science, Silla University, Busan 617-736, Republic of Korea

5Department of Animal Resources Technology, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology,
Chinju 660-758, Republic of Korea

*Corresponding Author email : ischoi@silla.ac.kr 

 Publication Data

?Paper received:

12 April 2012

Revised received:

28 September 2012

Accepted:

25 January 2013

Abstract

The antibacterial activity of various saturated fatty acids (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) against different oral pathogens which are implicated in the cause of dental caries, stomatitis, gingivitis, and periodontitis was examined. The saturated fatty acids Pa, StA and ArA, and the unsaturated w-7 fatty acids PLA and w-9 fatty acids OA showed either none to low antimicrobial activity against all of the 12 oral pathogenic strains used in this study. In contrast, the w-3 PUFAs, ALA, SDA, EPA and DHA, and the w-6 PUFAs, LA, GLA, and AA showed considerable antimicrobial activity against 8, 7, 6 and 5 strains, and 6, 10 and 5 strains, respectively. In particular, the w-3 and w-6 PUFAs showed strong antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis KCTC 381, the cause of periodontitis, and against Aggregatibacter segnis KCTC 5968, Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. Polymorphum KCTC 5172 and Prevotella intermedia KCTC 25611, all organisms implicated in the cause of gingivitis. To date, no bacterial resistance to free fatty acids has been encountered and no resistance phenotype has emerged. Therefore, these results suggest that PUFAs may be useful in the development of therapeutic agents for oral diseases, and in particular, in the development of agents that have minimal side effects and against which there is no bacterial resistance.

Key words

Antimicrobial activity, Free fatty acid, Oral pathogen

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