Figure 4
The destabilizing effect of arginine on S. mutans (S. m) and S. sanguinis (S. s) biofilms. (a) Representative stereomicroscope images of crystal violet stained 24-hour S. m/S. s biofilms treated with different concentrations of arginine (Arg). Quantitative analysis of S. m (b) and S. s (c) biofilms exposed to arginine. OD595nm = optical density at 595 nm. Data are presented as mean ± s.d. (n = 3; one-way ANOVA test followed by Dunnett’s test to compare experimental groups with PBS-treated control group; **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001). (d) Representative images of 24-hour dual-species biofilms labeled by S. m- and S. s-specific fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) probe. Quantitative analysis of S. m/S. s percentage (e) and number (f) based on integral optical density (IOD). Data are presented as mean ± s.d. (n = 3; one-way ANOVA test followed by Dunnett’s test to compare experimental groups with PBS-treated control group; significant difference in S. m number are indicated with *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001, significant differences in S. s number are indicated with #p < 0.05, ###p < 0.001).
