Antimicrobial effect of probiotic bacteriocins on biofilm in a dynamic oral flow chamber model - an study.

Aim: To determine the antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin-producing probiotic strains K12 and M18 alone or in combination against caries-associated .

Methods: Antimicrobial activity of K12 and/or M18 against ATCC 25175 growth and biofilm formation on hydroxyapatite (HA) discs was determined in a flow chamber model by recording the colony forming units (CFU/ml) after 48 h of co-cultivation. The biofilm was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Additionally, the simultaneous antagonism assay was used to assess the inhibitory effect of K12 and/or M18 against ATCC 25175 and 21 clinical isolates of .

Results: Co-cultivation of and K12 and/or M18 led to the inhibition of viability, thereby, preventing its biofilm formation on HA discs. Furthermore, K12 and M18 exhibited antimicrobial activity against most clinical isolates of .

Conclusion: The flow chamber system used in this study allows the simulation of time-dependent administration of probiotic strains, either alone or in combination, to investigate the prevention of biofilm formation in a standardized model.