Wine polyphenols may prevent caries and periodontal disease

Conventionally, some health benefits of polyphenols have been attributed to these compounds being antioxidants, meaning they likely protect the body from harm caused by free radicals. However, recent research indicates that polyphenols might also promote health by actively interacting with bacteria in the gut. Study author Dr. M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas, Director of the Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación, Madrid, Spain, and her colleagues aimed to investigate whether wine and grape polyphenols would also protect teeth and gingivae, and how this could work on a molecular level.

The Spanish researchers studied the effect of two red wine polyphenols, as well as commercially available grape seed and red wine extracts, on Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Streptococcus mutans bacteria, which are associated with dental caries and periodontal disease. Working with cells that model gingival tissue, they found that the two wine polyphenols—caffeic and p-coumaric acids—in isolation were generally better than the total wine extracts at reducing the bacteria’s ability to adhere to the cells.

When combined with Streptococcus dentisani, which is believed to be an oral probiotic, the polyphenols had an even better anti-adhesive capacity. The researchers also showed that metabolites formed when digestion of the polyphenols begins in the mouth might be responsible for some of these effects.

The study, titled “Inhibition of oral pathogens adhesion to human gingival fibroblasts by wine polyphenols alone and in combination with an oral probiotic,” was published online in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry on Feb. 21.

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