Journal: International Dental Journal
Article Title: In Vitro Antimicrobial Effect of Tetrahydrocannabinol on Streptococcus mutans and Its Anticariogenic Potential
doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2025.109386
Figure Lengend Snippet: The effect of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the preformed S mutans biofilm viability. Biofilms were photographed under a fluorescence microscope after live/dead staining. The live cells are shown in green, and the dead cells in red. The figure shows a merged color of green and red, evaluating the viability of S mutans biofilm. At the 1-hour, 3-hour, and 6-hour time points, compared with the methanol group, the biofilm was more yellow and even red in the THC groups, and as the THC concentration increased, the color of the biofilm became redder, indicating a dose-dependent change. In the different concentration groups, as time increased, the color of the biofilm became increasingly red from 1 to 6 hours, while there was no obvious change in the methanol group, illustrating a time-dependent change. In the 24-hour group, the color of the biofilms in the THC groups was not as red as at 6 hours, consistent with the TECAN results. As shown in Figure 4H-I, the live cells increased, and the dead cells did not change much, suggesting that the effect of THC gradually diminished over 6 to 24 hours. Each experiment was performed twice, and representative images were used. Pie charts show the proportions of integrated fluorescence intensity (IntDen, analyzed with ImageJ) corresponding to PI (red) and SYTO 9 (green) signals. Scale bars represent 20 µm.
Article Snippet: The S mutans strain (ATCC 25175) was purchased from the American Type Culture Collection.
Techniques: Fluorescence, Microscopy, Staining, Concentration Assay