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. 2020 Aug 3;86(16):e01012-20.
doi: 10.1128/AEM.01012-20. Print 2020 Aug 3.

Effect of Rubusoside, a Natural Sucrose Substitute, on Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Cariogenic Potential and Virulence Gene Expression In Vitro

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Effect of Rubusoside, a Natural Sucrose Substitute, on Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Cariogenic Potential and Virulence Gene Expression In Vitro

Chunru Guan et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. .

Abstract

Dental caries is a biofilm-mediated disease in which Streptococcus mutans is the main pathogenic microorganism, and its incidence is closely related to sucrose. Rubusoside is a natural nonnutritive sweetener isolated from Rubus suavissimus S. Lee. This study was designed to determine the effect of this sucrose substitute on the cariogenic properties and virulence gene expression of S. mutans biofilms. S. mutans was exposed to brain heart infusion (BHI) medium (as a control), 1% sucrose-supplemented medium, 1% rubusoside-supplemented medium, and 1% xylitol-supplemented medium. The growth curve of the biofilm was monitored by crystal violet staining, and the pH was measured every 24 h. After 5 days, the biofilms formed on the glass coverslips were recovered to determine the biomass (dry weight and total amount of soluble proteins), numbers of CFU, and amounts of intra- and extracellular polysaccharides. Biofilm structural imaging was performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Virulence gene expression (gtfB, gtfC, gtfD, ftf, spaP, gbpB, ldh, atpF, vicR, and comD) was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Growth in rubusoside resulted in lower levels of acid production than observed during growth in sucrose, xylitol, and the control, while it also reduced the level of biofilm accumulation and bacterial viability and even reduced the level of production of extracellular polysaccharides. By SEM, the levels of biofilm formation and extracellular matrix during growth in rubusoside were lower than these levels during growth in sucrose and xylitol. From the perspective of virulence genes, growth in rubusoside and xylitol significantly inhibited the expression of virulence genes compared with their levels of expression after growth in sucrose. Among these genes, gtfB, gtfC, gbpB, ldh, and comD downregulation was found with growth in rubusoside compared with their expression with growth in xylitol. Therefore, rubusoside appears to be less potentially cariogenic than sucrose and xylitol and may become an effective sucrose substitute for caries prevention. Further studies are needed to deepen these findings.IMPORTANCE Dental caries is a major public health challenge and places heavy biological, social, and financial burdens on individuals and health care systems. To palliate the deleterious effect of sucrose on the virulence factors of S. mutans, massive commercial efforts have been oriented toward developing products that may act as sucrose substitutes. Rubusoside, a natural sucrose substitute, is a plant extract with a high level of sweetness. Although some studies have shown that rubusoside does not produce acids or inhibit the growth of S. mutans, little attention has been paid to its effect on dental biofilm and the underlying mechanisms. Our study focuses on the effect of rubusoside on the formation and structure of biofilms and the expression of virulence genes. The results confirm that rubusoside can inhibit accumulation, bacterial viability, polysaccharide production by the biofilm, and related gene expression. These results provide further insight into the cariogenicity of S. mutans biofilms and demonstrate a new perspective for studying the impact of sucrose substitutes on caries.

Keywords: Streptococcus mutans; biofilm formation; dental caries; rubusoside; virulence gene.

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Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
(A) Growth curve for the S. mutans biofilm. (B) Dry weight and amounts of soluble proteins (in milligrams) of the S. mutans biofilm. (C) Viability of the S. mutans biofilm. (D) Production of soluble extracellular polysaccharides (SEPS) by the S. mutans biofilm. (E) Production of insoluble extracellular polysaccharides (IEPS) by the S. mutans biofilm. (F) Production of intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) by the S. mutans biofilm. Control, S. mutans growth in BHI medium; sucrose, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% sucrose; rubusoside, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% rubusoside; xylitol, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% xylitol. The results are expressed as the mean ± SD. Error bars indicate SD. Different letters represent significant differences among treatments. Statistical significance is marked with asterisks: *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.
FIG 2
FIG 2
Architecture of S. mutans biofilms and distribution of bacteria determined using SEM. Specimens were examined at magnifications of ×10,000 and ×30,000. Control, S. mutans growth in BHI medium; sucrose, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% sucrose; rubusoside, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% rubusoside; xylitol, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% xylitol.
FIG 3
FIG 3
Expression of cariogenicity-related virulence factors of S. mutans biofilms by real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. (A) Results for gtfB, gtfC, gtfD, and ftf. (B) Results for spaP and gbpB. (C) Results for ldh and atpF. (D) Results for vicR and comD. The level of expression of each gene was normalized to the level of 16S rRNA expression, and the fold change relative to the findings for the control was calculated using the 2−ΔΔCT method. Control, S. mutans growth in BHI medium; sucrose, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% sucrose; rubusoside, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% rubusoside; xylitol, S. mutans growth in BHI medium supplemented with 1% xylitol. The results were expressed as the mean ± SD, and error bars indicate SD. Different letters represent significant differences among treatments. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.

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