Differences of microbial populations between yellow greasy and thin white tongue coating in healthy population

Abstract:

[Background] Tongue coating refers to the substances covered on the tongue, which are composed of food residues, microorganisms and epithelial keratinocytes of tongue coating. According to the thickness and color of the tongue coating to identify the patient’s physical condition, is one of the components of “Look” diagnosis, is one of the main basis for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) experts to treat patients with syndrome differentiation. However, there are few studies on the relationship between the formation of tongue coating quality and microbial flora. [Objective] To discover the difference of microbial flora between yellow greasy and thin white in tongue coating, and the relationship between the flora and the quality of tongue coating. [Methods] The thin white tongue coating and yellow greasy tongue coating of the young students were used as the research samples. The surface of the young students’ tongue coating was scraped with a disinfectant cotton swab, and the tongue coating samples were obtained, and sent to Shanghai Meiji company for DNA extraction. Then, 16S rRNA gene was amplified by PCR, and 16S rRNA gene was obtained by high-throughput sequencing systems, and then analyze the bacterial species in the sample by interactive sequence analysis software. [Results] There were significant differences in the composition of the main flora between the yellow greasy tongue coating and the thin white tongue coating. At the level of genus and species, the composition of Actinomyces was significantly different, The content of Actinomycetes in yellow and greasy tongue coating was significantly higher than that in thin and white tongue coating (P<0.05), while the content of Porphyromonas and Moraxella in thin and white tongue coating was significantly higher than that in yellow and greasy tongue coating (P<0.05). [Conclusion] The thick, yellow and peculiar smell of the yellow greasy tongue coating may be caused by the high content of Actinomyces; Moreover, some Actinomycetes can cause aggressive bacterial diseases, called actinomycosis. Therefore, the occurrence of yellow greasy moss in healthy people may indicate the potential early warning of inflammation in the body. Moraxella and Porphyromonas were significantly more than those on yellow and greasy tongue coating, indicating that these two normal flora might played an important role in maintaining normal tone and tongue coating function.