The Oxidant-Scavenging Abilities in the Oral Cavity May Be Regulated by a Collaboration among Antioxidants in Saliva, Microorganisms, Blood Cells and Polyphenols: A Chemiluminescence-Based Study

Abstract

Saliva has become a central research issue in oral physiology and pathology. Over the evolution, the oral cavity has evolved the antioxidants uric acid, ascorbate reduced glutathione, plasma-derived albumin and antioxidants polyphenols from nutrients that are delivered to the oral cavity. However, blood cells extravasated from injured capillaries in gingival pathologies, or following tooth brushing and use of tooth picks, may attenuate the toxic activities of H2O2 generated by oral streptococci and by oxidants generated by activated phagocytes. Employing a highly sensitive luminol-dependent chemiluminescence, the DPPH radical and XTT assays to quantify oxidant-scavenging abilities (OSA), we show that saliva can strongly decompose both oxygen and nitrogen species. However, lipophilic antioxidant polyphenols in plants, which are poorly soluble in water and therefore not fully available as effective antioxidants, can nevertheless be solubilized either by small amounts of ethanol, whole saliva or also by salivary albumin and mucin. Plant-derived polyphenols can also act in collaboration with whole saliva, human red blood cells, platelets, and also with catalase-positive microorganisms to decompose reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, polyphenols from nutrient can avidly adhere to mucosal surfaces, are retained there for long periods and may function as a “slow- release devises” capable of affecting the redox status in the oral cavity. The OSA of saliva is due to the sum result of low molecular weight antioxidants, albumin, polyphenols from nutrients, blood elements and microbial antioxidants. Taken together, saliva and its antioxidants are considered regulators of the redox status in the oral cavity under physiological and pathological conditions.

The Antioxidant Effect of Fermented Papaya Preparation in the Oral Cavity

“…The cocktail alone showed no decrease in luminescence with time. Saliva (at 15 μL), in agreement with a previous report (Ginsburg et al, ), and FPP (up to 10 mg), each one alone, had a very modest effect, while combinations of FPP (2–10 mg) and saliva (15 μL) had a significant quenching effect, indicating the ability of FPP in saliva to decompose H 2 O 2 and hydroxyl radicals generated by the cocktail. Fig.…”

“…We have previously suggested that the antioxidant status in the oral cavity might be affected by interactions among antioxidants of the saliva, the oral microbial flora, blood elements extravasated from injured capillaries and polyphenols from nutrients (Ginsburg et al, 2013). The antioxidants may counteract toxic oxidants that include peroxides, thiocyanous acid (Grisham and Ryan, 1990) and oxidants generated by activated neutrophils (Battino et al, 1999) and bacteria (Okahashi et al, 2014), which accumulate in infectious sites in the oral cavity.…”

“…The main antioxidants of saliva are low molecular-weight agents, such as uric acid, ascorbate, α-tocopherol and reduced glutathione (Sculley and Langley-Evans, 2002). In addition, saliva and its components, such as mucin and albumin, also markedly enhanced the OSA of diet-derived polyphenols and of complexes formed among RBC, platelets, bacteria and polyphenols (Ginsburg et al, 2013).…”

Relationship among salivary antioxidant activity, cytokines, and periodontitis: the Nagasaki Island study

“…Subjects with worse periodontal condition tended to have increased oxidative injury to periodontal tissue. Recently, total levels of ROS or antioxidant activity were determined using fluorescence analysis (Tsutsumi et al 2012), chemiluminescence (Ginsburg et al 2013), and absorptiometry (Tamaki et al 2011). However, these analyses quantify antioxidant activities against nonspecific ROS.…”

Future prospective and current status of antioxidants in premalignant and malignant lesions of oral cavity

“…Red blood cells coated by polyphenols, further act with salivary low molecular weight antioxidants (LMWA) to enhance the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, both acting as solubilizers of polyphenols making them antioxidants that are more effective. [18] Deficiency of beta carotene can lead to periodontal destruction. Prostaglandin inhibitory effect of alpha tocopherol contributes in reducing periodontal inflammation.…”