Hindering oral biofilm communication could help prevent periodontal disease

Disruptions to the signaling pathways of oral bacteria could help manage the buildup of biofilms, according to a news article from DentistryIQ.

In a study published in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, researchers explained that N-acyl homoserine lactone-mediated quorum sensing is a communication process that regulates biofilms. After examining cultured oral microbes derived from human dental biofilms in an environment with less than 5% carbon dioxide, they noted that N-acyl homoserine lactones were still detectable and were capable of being received by oral bacteria in anaerobic environments.

The researchers used N-acyl homoserine lactone lactonases to interfere with the signaling pathway, finding that pathogenic bacteria were inhibited and beneficial oral bacteria enriched under 5% carbon dioxide. N-acyl homoserine lactones reintroduced under an anaerobic environment promoted the proliferation of pathogenic late colonizers.

The results of the study could have critical implications for the prevention of periodontal disease and highlighted the differences in quorum sensing under aerobic and anaerobic environments in the oral microbiome.

Read more: DentistryIQ

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