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Harnessing Pickle Power

Harnessing Pickle Power

Vee Winston

Daniela Acevedo Hernandez

Lamar Institute of Technology

Dental Hygiene Program

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Harnessing Pickle Power

Abstract

Everyday new things are discovered, as dental professionals when there is something that is

discovered to help the oral cavity, it is very exciting. It is known that Streptococcus mutans are

considered a major etiological pathogen in dental caries. We are now looking at the possibility of

a probiotic in a Chinese pickle being able to inhibit the effect of S. mutans in the oral cavity. The

probiotic found in these pickles is the L. plantarum K41. There are possibilities of this probiotic

being implemented in the everyday diet of society in order to prevent caries as well as its many

other benefits.

Keywords: caries, S. mutans, L. plantarum K41, probiotic.

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Harnessing Pickle Power
Harnessing Pickle Power

Everyday there are new discoveries made in the dental world, some more impacting than

others, in this research we will be discussing the use of Chinese pickles that are being proven to

prevent caries along with multiple other benefits (Booth, J. (2020). Are these pickles going to be

the next addition to our oral health care and prevention? It seems to be the case. Using these

pickles containing a specific probiotic that inhibits tooth decay will benefit in a future by making

it an integral part of the diet.

Streptococcus mutans (S. Mutans) are the biological components of plaque and are a

pathological component of tooth decay (Zhang, G. (2020). There has been a thought-provoking

study taking place in China targeting a probiotic found in Chinese pickles and its ability to

prevent cavities. It was hypothesized that L. plantarum strains found in the Sichuan pickles may

affect the oral microbiome in a beneficial way (Zhang, G, (2020). A primary indication of

Lactobacillus’ potential effects is its adhesion ability towards epithelial cells and mucosal

surfaces (Zhang, G. (2020). The main goal of the study was to screen Lactobacillus strains found

in Sichuan pickles and their ability to antagonize S. mutans in vitro and vivo (Gottschling M

(2016). These pickles’ ability to have numerous beneficial properties are due to the presence of

microorganisms that result from the fermentation process (Zhang, G. (2020).

L. plantarum is a member of the genus Lactiplantibacillus can be mostly found in

fermented foods and anaerobic plant matter (Zhang, G. (2020). The high levels of these

organisms found in food has been the driving force in its use as a probiotic. It is one of the

largest genomes known among lactic acid bacteria. It can grow in the pH levels of 3.4-8.8. L.

plantarum has significant antimicrobial properties (Zhang, G. (2020). It is versatile in its ability
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to influence gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. L. plantarum has been tested for its health

effects (Zhang, G. (2020). Primarily due to its origin, abundance, and ability to grow. These

reasons warrant the investigation of its use in further research and potential application use.

(Zhang, 2020) L. plantarum also can survive in the gastrointestinal tract, which makes it possible

to deliver in vivo delivery for therapeutic compounds or proteins (Zhang, G. (2020).

The study took place at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Chengu University in

China (Zhang, G., Lu, M., Liu, R., Tian, Y., Vu, V. H., Li, Y., … Sun, Q. (2020.) In southwest

China pickles are an essential part of the diet (Sciencedaily) There was a strain of Lactobacilli

(L. Plantarum K41) found in Sichuan pickles (Zhang, G., Lu, M., Liu, R., Tian, Y., Vu, V. H.,

Li, Y., … Sun, Q. (2020.) The origin of L. plantarum is in a high salinity environment, therefore

it showed a high tolerance to acids and salt. This warranted studying its benefits. (The study has

claimed there was a reduction of S. Mutans by 98.4%. The study involved 14 samples of pickles

collected from different areas in the Sichuan province All the samples were cut into small pieces

and serially diluted using sterile saline solution (Zhang, G., Lu, M., Liu, R., Tian, Y., Vu, V. H.,

Li, Y., … Sun, Q. (2020) The dilutions were placed on DeMan-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) agar

plates. The samples were incubated for 48 hours at 37° Celsius. After incubation, the bacterial

suspensions of S. mutans and Lactobacillus using fresh media and cultured for 2 hours. The

melted S. mutans containing agar is poured quickly into oxford cups. A total of 54 were used to

analyze the inhibitory effects of Lactobacillus. There were six strains that formed an inhibitory

area around the S. mutans. Based on the diameter of the area, the highest antimicrobial activity

14.7 ± 1.5 mm was the L. plantarum. The chlorohexidine acetate was 14.2 ± 1.9mm of

antimicrobial activity. This result indicates, in this study that L. plantarum had the best

inhibitory effect. (Zhang, G., Lu, M., Liu, R., Tian, Y., Vu, V. H., Li, Y., … Sun, Q. (2020).
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Harnessing Pickle Power
A dosing experiment was performed on 28, 17-day old, specific pathogen free rats. For

the first three days they were fed a diet supplemented with 0.1% carbenicillin, 0.1%

chloramphenicol and water with 4,000U/ml penicillin. Day 5 onward they were fed a diet of 56%

sucrose and 10% sucrose was added to the water. On the 21st day, an overnight bacterial infection

was orally administered of S. mutans for 3 consecutive days. On the 24th day they were

randomly divided into 4 groups. The groups were as follows: group 1(control), group

2(chlorohexide acetate 0.02%), group 3(K41), group 4(K41 mixed with ABY-8). Their molars

were topically daily using oral swabs at simultaneous times at 20 seconds per quadrant for 35

days (Zhang, G., Lu, M., Liu, R., Tian, Y., Vu, V. H., Li, Y., … Sun, Q. (2020.)

The carious lesions were observed under stereoscopic microscopy. L.planatarum

significantly reduced the caries incidence and the severity of the smooth and sulcal caries (Zhang

2020.) Three dimensional images of the first molar enamel were performed on the maxilla and

the mean mineral density, and reports showed they were higher than the ones in the control

group. (Zhang,2020)

Bacteria, fungi, and viruses occupy more than ten times the number of cells we have in our body.

This warrants the amount of attention that this topic is given by the health care industry (Zhang

2020.) The oral cavity 700-1000 bacterial species on the tongue, teeth, gum, inner cheeks, palate,
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and tonsils. Oral probiotics have recently been a topic of interest (Zhang 2020) The concept of

using these to prevent caries has been proposed. (Mahasneh,2017). In addition to this probiotic

being proven to benefit the oral cavity, it has also been stated that this probiotic might show to be

more beneficial to our oral health than even chlorhexidine acetate as shown in the chart above.

The K41 strain was indicated with the best inhibitory effect. Considering chlorhexidine is very

widely used, this is a big success (Mahasneh 2017.)

Probiotics have been used for years to promote healthy gut bacteria. If there is an

imbalance in the digestive system, the patient is at risk for an eventual decline in health or the

formation of disease. The imbalance is the result of a decline of good bacteria and an increase of

the bad bacteria. Probiotics can be found in fermented food and supplements. (Mahsneh,2017)

Since the oral microbiome is functions in a similar manner could these products be beneficial to

our health by implementing them in our daily diet? The answer in short, is yes, because

probiotics regulate the immune system, stabilize the intestinal microbiota, reduce cholesterol

levels, and with the research stated above, can promote caries inhibition (Sciencedaily.)

In conclusion of this research, it is very exciting to see a new substance that has great

potential for being the next big thing in dentistry. Implementing this caries inhibiting probiotic

K41 strand in our daily lives will bring health benefits to the world and help keep a healthy

smile. Not only with pickles but taking this strand of probiotic (L. Plantarum) and creating new

dental products. We hope this study brings great results to the dental world.
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Citations:

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. (2020, June 11). Harnessing pickle
power to promote dental health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 25, 2021 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200611152451.htm

Booth, J., & *, N. (n.d.). Chinese pickles could help prevent dental caries. Retrieved
November 26, 2020, from https://www.dental-tribune.com/news/chinese-pickles-could-
help-prevent-dental-caries.

Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw.

(Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: E7720.
https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720. (n.d.). doi: 10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f

Https://kujss.iraqjournals.com/pdf_166170_8dd024058ce4abb6c364bec514cecef8.html. (2020).

Kirkuk University Journal-Scientific Studies, 15(2), 1-16. doi:10.32894/kujss.2019.15.2.1

Mahasneh, S. (2017, December 1). Probiotics: A Promising Role in Dental Health. PubMed
Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5806962/

Zhang, G. (2020). Inhibition of Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Formation and Virulence by

Lactobacillus plantarum K41 Isolated From Traditional Sichuan Pickles. Frontiers.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00774/full#T3

Zhang, G., Lu, M., Liu, R., Tian, Y., Vu, V. H., Li, Y., … Sun, Q. (2020, March 31). Inhibition
of Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Formation and Virulence by Lactobacillus plantarum
K41 Isolated From Traditional Sichuan Pickles. Frontiers.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00774/full.