Hema Bhagavathi

Ms. Hema Bhagavathi

Research Scholar
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

6Years (2021-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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21 February 2021 in Antibiotics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
AVAparna Vijayakumar
Aparna Vijayakumar
HBHema Bhagavathi
Hema Bhagavathi
SVSahana Vasudevan
Sahana Vasudevan
KSKarthi Shanmugam
Karthi Shanmugam
ASAdline Princy Solomon
Adline Princy Solomon
PRASANNA NEELAKANTANPRASANNA NEELAKANTAN
PRASANNA NEELAKANTAN
Dental caries, the most common oral disease, is a major public healthcare burden and affects more than three billion people worldwide. The contemporary understanding of the need for a healthy microbiome and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has resulted in an urgent need to identify compounds that curb the virulence of pathobionts without microbial killing. Through this study, we have demonstrated for the first time that 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone (Baicalein) significantly downregulates crucial caries-related virulence phenotypes in Streptococcus mutans. Baicalein significantly inhibited biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans UA159 (MBIC50 = 200 μM), without significant growth inhibition. Notably, these concentrations of baicalein did not affect the commensal S. gordonii. Strikingly, baicalein significantly reduced cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and acid production by S. mutans. Mechanistic studies (qRT-PCR) showed downregulation of various genes regulating biofilm formation, surface attachment, quorum sensing, acid production and competence. Finally, we demonstrate the potential translational value of baicalein by reporting synergistic interaction with fluoride against S. mutans biofilms.