ABSTRACT
Strong interspecies adherence was demonstrated among the periodontal pathogens Treponema denticola, Bacteroides forsythus and Porphyromonas gingivalis, and between these pathogens and the commensal plaque organism Streptococcus crista. Adherence showed specificity and demonstrated saturation binding kinetics. Binding between B. forsythus and P. gingivalis appeared to be a unimodal protein-protein interaction. Binding between the other organisms was at least bimodal involving interactions between combinations of proteins and carbohydrates with a variety of sugar specificities. Salivary molecules prevented adherence between T. denticola and S. crista, and serum eliminated B. forsythus binding to P. gingivalis. All other interactions occurred to some degree in the presence of serum and saliva. Such interbacterial binding interactions may be important in the establishment of periodontopathic plaque.
Subject(s)
Bacteria, Anaerobic/physiology , Bacterial Adhesion/physiology , Dental Plaque/microbiology , Adhesins, Bacterial/metabolism , Amino Acids/metabolism , Amino Acids/pharmacology , Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Bacteroides/physiology , Blood Physiological Phenomena , Carbohydrate Metabolism , Carbohydrates/pharmacology , Ecosystem , Fimbriae, Bacterial/physiology , Hot Temperature , Humans , Periodontal Diseases/microbiology , Porphyromonas gingivalis/physiology , Protein Binding , Saliva/physiology , Streptococcus/physiology , Treponema/physiologyABSTRACT
Ginseng, a panacea in the Orient, has been widely investigated in the last two decades and found to possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including anti-fatigue properties, a transient regulatory action on metabolism and blood pressure, and an increase in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical activities. However, a panoramic clinical chemistry study including adrenal and thyroid functions has never been done before. Two experiments with the same design but different concentrations of dexamethasone were performed in this study. The results obtained from the two experiments indicated that ginseng administration at this regime did not influence the blood chemistry profiles in normal rats, but significantly decreased AST and ALT levels from those in dexamethasone-treated ones. It implies that ginseng has a liver-protective effect. Meanwhile, ginseng therapy restores the adrenal and thyroid functions of rats inhibited by dexamethasone treatment.
