Investigation on Streptococcus Mutans Biofilm Dispersion

Abstract

Biofilm-related infections account for more than 75% of all microbial infections in humans. Several studies argued that the biofilm-dispersal process initiates systemic infections by causing bacteria to be released into the host. Although our knowledge of the characteristics of dispersed bacteria is still limited, it is recognized that these bacteria have different characteristics, such as higher virulence and adhesion factors, in contrast to their planktonic and sessile counterparts. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), which is the major pathogen in the formation of dental caries has also been detected in atherosclerotic plaques, and heart valve specimens from patients with cardiovascular diseases. In oral isolates, the frequency of S. mutans strains positive for the collagen binding protein (CBP) cnm+ gene has been estimated to be 10-20%. Tobacco use is considered to be an independent risk factor for both atherosclerosis and dental caries. Knowledge about S. mutans biofilm dispersal is lacking. Thus, studying the characteristics of dispersed bacteria is crucial to fill that gap of knowledge. We began our investigation by conducting a review of the literature on current findings about biofilm formation and dispersion of several oral and extraoral pathogens, in addition to methodologies for analyzing the dispersion phase. For this study, we identified and chose three dispersion-inducing compounds: adenosine triphosphate (ATP), cis-2-deconoic acid (CDA), and nicotine (NIC). Subsequently, the dispersion, adhesion to collagen type IV, and invasion of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were studied using two S. mutans strains, UA159 (Cnm-) and TLJ60a (Cnm+). Both strains showed increased dispersion, adherence rates to collagen type IV, and invasion percentages of BAEC when treated with dispersion inducers compared to their control. In the ATP and NIC groups, TLJ60a (Cnm+) demonstrated greater dispersion and adherence to collagen type IV than UA159 (Cnm-). Harboring the cnm encoding gene appears to enhance S. mutans invasion of BAEC in both biofilm and dispersed cells. In the Cnm+ strain, ATP-induced dispersed cells demonstrated a consistent increase in type IV collagen adhesion and BAEC invasion rates. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the impact of ATP secretion by damaged endothelial cells in determining S. mutans role in atherogenesis.