{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T01:36:41Z","timestamp":1790127401202,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,16]],"date-time":"2024-01-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1705363200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Fund for Scientific Promotion of TSET Co., Ltd. (Kariya, Japan)"},{"name":"Pharmacrea Kobe Co., Ltd. (Kobe, Japan)"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Shikonin is extracted from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, and shikonin extracts have been shown to have inhibitory effects on several bacteria. However, shikonin extracts are difficult to formulate because of their poor water solubility. In the present study, we prepared a shikonin dispersion, which was solubilized by the inclusion of \u03b2-1,3-1,6 glucan, and analysed the inhibitory effects of this dispersion on Streptococcus mutans and non-mutans streptococci. The shikonin dispersion showed pronounced anti-S. mutans activity, and inhibited growth of and biofilm formation by this bacterium. The shikonin dispersion also showed antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects against non-mutans streptococci. In addition, a clinical trial was conducted in which 20 subjects were asked to brush their teeth for 1 week using either shikonin dispersion-containing or non-containing toothpaste, respectively. The shikonin-containing toothpaste decreased the number of S. mutans in the oral cavity, while no such effect was observed after the use of the shikonin-free toothpaste. These results suggest that shikonin dispersion has an inhibitory effect on S. mutans and non-mutans streptococci, and toothpaste containing shikonin dispersion may be effective in preventing dental caries.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms25021075","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,16]],"date-time":"2024-01-16T04:03:30Z","timestamp":1705377810000},"page":"1075","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Inhibitory Effects of Shikonin Dispersion, an Extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Encapsulated in \u03b2-1,3-1,6 Glucan, on Streptococcus mutans and Non-Mutans Streptococci"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Ryota","family":"Nomura","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Joint Research Laboratory of Next-Generation Science for Oral Infection Control, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Hiroshima, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuto","family":"Suehiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fumikazu","family":"Tojo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saaya","family":"Matayoshi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8634-209X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rena","family":"Okawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Joint Research Laboratory of Next-Generation Science for Oral Infection Control, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masakazu","family":"Hamada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Oncology and Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuhei","family":"Naka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Okayama, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michiyo","family":"Matsumoto-Nakano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Okayama, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rika","family":"Unesaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047, Hyogo, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kazuya","family":"Koumoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047, Hyogo, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8276-7277","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Keiko","family":"Kawauchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047, Hyogo, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2965-1793","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Takahito","family":"Nishikata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047, Hyogo, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tatsuya","family":"Akitomo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Hiroshima, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chieko","family":"Mitsuhata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Hiroshima, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masatoshi","family":"Yagi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joint Research Laboratory of Next-Generation Science for Oral Infection Control, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Pharmacrea Kobe Co., Ltd., Kobe 651-0085, Hyogo, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Toshiro","family":"Mizoguchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joint Research Laboratory of Next-Generation Science for Oral Infection Control, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"TSET Co., Ltd., Kariya 448-0022, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Koki","family":"Fujikawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joint Research Laboratory of Next-Generation Science for Oral Infection Control, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"TSET Co., Ltd., Kariya 448-0022, Aichi, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Taizo","family":"Taniguchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joint Research Laboratory of Next-Generation Science for Oral Infection Control, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Pharmacrea Kobe Co., Ltd., Kobe 651-0085, Hyogo, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2209-2685","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kazuhiko","family":"Nakano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Osaka 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