Prebiotic Oral Care Compositions Containing Amino Acids

[0075]The metabolic activity of various beneficial oral bacteria and pathogenic oral bacteria in the presence of the dipeptides Ser-Leu, Ser-Val, Ser-Asn, Ser-Gln, Met-Pro, Phe-Glu, Glu-Trp, Trp-Leu or His-Trp was investigated. In the examples, the amino acid residues present in the dipeptides are L-amino acid residues.

[0076]The beneficial oral bacteria tested were Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis, Actinomyces viscosus, Streptococcus gordonii, Capnocytophaga sputigena, Actinomyces naeslundii and Veillonella parvula. The pathogenic oral bacteria tested were Streptococcus mutans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Streptococcus sobrinus.

[0077]Substrates that were able to increase the metabolic activity of at least one of the above beneficial bacteria while not or only minimally increasing the growth of the pathogenic bacteria are considered to be p

[0085]The extent of growth of various beneficial oral and pathogenic oral bacteria in the presence of the dipeptides Met-Pro and Phe-Glu, as examples, was investigated. The amino acid residues present in the dipeptides are L-amino acid residues.

[0086]The beneficial oral bacteria tested were Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis, Actinomyces viscosus, Streptococcus gordonii, Capnocytophaga sputigena, Actinomyces naeslundii and Veillonella parvula. The pathogenic oral bacteria tested were Streptococcus mutans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Streptococcus sobrinus.

[0087]Substrates that were able to increase the growth (or maximal growth density or extent of growth) of at least one of the above beneficial bacteria while not or only minimally increasing the growth (or maximal growth density) of the pathogenic bacteria are considered to be prebiotic com

[0093]The effects of the dipeptides Met-Pro and Phe-Glu, as examples, upon biofilm growth of various beneficial oral bacteria and pathogenic oral bacteria was also investigated. The amino acid residues present in the dipeptides are L-amino acid residues.

[0094]Substrates that were able to increase the biofilm mass of at least one of the above beneficial bacteria while not or only minimally increasing the biofilm mass of the pathogenic bacteria are considered to be prebiotic compounds.

[0095]The increase in biofilm formation of the tested bacteria in response to selected compounds (Met-Pro, Phe-Glu) was investigated by setting up biofilm growth assays in a nutritionally rich medium (brain heart infusion broth (BHI), Oxoid), over 48 hours. Late exponential growth phase liquid cultures were prepared by transferring the respective bacterium from blood agar plates to BHI and overnight incubation at 37° C. in an anaerobic atmosphere for A. viscosus, V. parvula, F. nucleatum, P. gingivalis, P.