Abstract
Dental caries is a common disease caused by oral bacteria. Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are the primary cariogenic microbes that often survive as biofilms on teeth. In this study, we evaluated the activity of ClyR, a well-known chimeric lysin with extended streptococcal host range, against common Gram-positive oral microbes and its anticaries efficacy in rat models. ClyR demonstrated high lytic activity against S. mutans MT8148 and S. sobrinus ATCC6715, with minor activity against Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus salivarius, which are considered as harmless commensal oral bacteria. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the number of viable cells in 72-h aged S. mutans and S. sobrinus biofilms are significantly (p < 0.05) decreased after treatment with 50 µg/mL ClyR for 5 min. Furthermore, continuous administration of ClyR for 40 days (5 µg/day) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the severity of caries in rat models infected with a single or a mixed bacteria of S. mutans and S. sobrinus. Therefore, ClyR could be a promising agent or additive for the prevention and treatment of dental caries.
Highlights
Dental caries remains a significant problem all over the world despite improved oral hygiene awareness [1]
S. mutans and S. sobrinus were isolated from dental plaques of different children with severe early childhood caries (SECC), which were confirmed by biochemistry identification (Tianhe Microbial, Inc., Hangzhou, China) and 16S
In a recent comparative analysis, Czaplewski and colleagues ranked endolysins as the alternative class classofofantibacterial antibacterial with greatest potential onclinical their impact clinical and impact and with the the greatest potential basedbased on their technical technical feasibility
Summary
Dental caries remains a significant problem all over the world despite improved oral hygiene awareness [1]. Glucan produced by S. mutans plays a fundamental role in biofilm formation, providing binding sites for bacteria colonization on enamel surface [5] Streptococcus sobrinus, another important cariogenic microorganism, is less frequently detected than. Antimicrobials capable of selectively eliminating S. mutans have been designed to achieve targeted killing with minimal effect on other oral microbes [18,19] This has opened up alternative methods to prevent caries without disturbing the ecological balance to commensal bacteria in the oral cavity [20]. We determined the efficacy of ClyR against multiple oral Gram-positive bacteria, including S. sobrinus and S. mutans isolated from children with severe early childhood caries (SECC) in China. The anticaries efficacy of ClyR was further investigated in rat models infected with a single or mixed bacteria of S. mutans and S. sobrinus
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