Fig. 2

Bacteriocin PLNC8 αβ from L. plantarum NC8 is efficient against P. gingivalis. The antimicrobial activity of PLNC8 αβ on wild type (WT) P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 (a) and W50 (b), respectively, was visualized using the fluorescent dye Sytox® Green. Images were acquired using Olympus BX41 at 40× magnification. The antimicrobial effect of PLNC8 αβ was rapid and a significant number of P. gingivalis cells could fluoresce already after 1 min, indicating damaged membranes. Representative images and quantitative data of at least three independent experiments are shown. Quantitative data were normalized and the controls at each time point were set to 1. ***p < 0.001, *- significance from the control at each time point. Scale bar = 300 μm