Academic Journal
Regulation of Streptococcus mutans biofilm virulence by dietary sugars: Mechanistic basis of sucralose-mediated suppression.
| Τίτλος: | Regulation of Streptococcus mutans biofilm virulence by dietary sugars: Mechanistic basis of sucralose-mediated suppression. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Nesa SR; Department of Food Safety and Regulatory Science, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea; GreenTech-based Food Safety Research Group, BK21 Four, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea., Meghla NS; Department of Food Safety and Regulatory Science, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea; GreenTech-based Food Safety Research Group, BK21 Four, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea., Lee H; Department of Food Safety and Regulatory Science, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea; GreenTech-based Food Safety Research Group, BK21 Four, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea., Kang I; Department of Animal Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA., Chun KA; Department of Conservative Dentistry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Koreadaero 73, Seoul, Sungbuk-Gu, Republic of Korea., Mizan MFR; Department of Food Safety and Regulatory Science, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea; GreenTech-based Food Safety Research Group, BK21 Four, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: rahaman4162@cau.ac.kr., Ha SD; Department of Food Safety and Regulatory Science, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea; GreenTech-based Food Safety Research Group, BK21 Four, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggido, 17546, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sangdoha@cau.ac.kr. |
| Πηγή: | Microbial pathogenesis [Microb Pathog] 2026 Oct; Vol. 219, pp. 108772. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 12. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Academic Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8606191 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1096-1208 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08824010 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Microb Pathog Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London ; Orlando : Academic Press, c1986- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Biofilms*/drug effects , Biofilms*/growth & development , Sucrose*/analogs & derivatives , Sucrose*/pharmacology , Sucrose*/metabolism , Streptococcus mutans*/drug effects , Streptococcus mutans*/pathogenicity , Streptococcus mutans*/genetics , Streptococcus mutans*/growth & development , Streptococcus mutans*/metabolism , Streptococcus mutans*/physiology , Dietary Sucrose*/pharmacology, Virulence/drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial/drug effects ; Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects ; Sweetening Agents/pharmacology ; Microbial Viability/drug effects ; Glucose/pharmacology ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning |
| Περίληψη: | Streptococcus mutans is a major cariogenic pathogen whose proliferation, acidogenesis, and pathogenicity are strongly impacted by dietary sugars, resulting in dental biofilm-associated illnesses. This study evaluated the effects of sucrose, glucose, and alternative sweeteners (allulose, erythritol, stevia, sucralose, and xylitol) on S. mutans biofilm formation, adhesion, autoaggregation, acidogenicity, metabolic activity, and virulence-related gene expression across different dental surfaces. Sucrose significantly enhanced acid production and biofilm formation, with 3% sucrose resulting in the highest biofilm biomass on both hydroxyapatite (HA) and stainless steel (SS) surfaces. In contrast, alternative sweeteners exhibited variable antibiofilm activity, with sucralose demonstrating the most potent and consistent inhibitory effects across all tested concentrations. Sucralose effectively suppressed sucrose-induced S. mutans biofilm formation, exhibiting dose-dependent antibiofilm activity. Moreover, sucralose significantly reduced bacterial adhesion, the viability of established biofilms, autoaggregation, acid production, intracellular ATP levels, and biofilm structural integrity, as confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Phenol-sulfuric acid analysis further demonstrated a significant reduction in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) carbohydrate production, while Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) study demonstrated that sucralose influences EPS composition, namely by lowering polysaccharide-associated components connected to glucan structures. Furthermore, sucralose markedly downregulated key virulence genes involved in biofilm architecture, quorum sensing (QS), and pathogenicity (vicR, gtfC, gbpC, and comX) in a concentration-dependent manner. Notably, this study shows that sucralose disrupts both EPS structural components and virulence gene regulatory networks in S. mutans, offering novel mechanistic insights into its antibiofilm efficacy against cariogenic biofilms. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interests The author does not have conflict of interest. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Dental biofilm; Dental caries; Streptococcus mutans; Sucralose; Sucrose |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 57-50-1 (Sucrose) 96K6UQ3ZD4 (trichlorosucrose) 0 (Sweetening Agents) 0 (Dietary Sucrose) IY9XDZ35W2 (Glucose) 0 (Bacterial Proteins) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260812 Date Completed: 20260821 Latest Revision: 20260821 |
| Update Code: | 20260822 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.micpath.2026.108772 |
| PMID: | 42586512 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1096-1208 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.micpath.2026.108772 |