Combating Cariogenic <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> Biofilm Formation and Disruption with Coumaric Acid on Dentin Surface

oleh: Syed Sohail Ahmad, Muhammad Faisal Siddiqui, Farhana Maqbool, Ihsan Ullah, Fazal Adnan, Aqel Albutti, Noorah Alsowayeh, Ziaur Rahman

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-01-01

Deskripsi

<i>Streptococcus mutans</i>, the primary cause of dental caries, relies on its ability to create and sustain a biofilm (dental plaque) for survival and pathogenicity in the oral cavity. This study was focused on the antimicrobial biofilm formation control and biofilm dispersal potential of Coumaric acid (CA) against <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> on the dentin surface. The biofilm was analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) viability assay, microtiter plate assay, production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), florescence microscopy (surface coverage and biomass μm<sup>2</sup>) and three-dimensional (3D) surface plots. It was observed that CA at 0.01 mg/mL reduced bacterial growth by 5.51%, whereases at 1 mg/mL, a significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) reduction (98.37%) was observed. However, at 1 mg/mL of CA, a 95.48% biofilm formation reduction was achieved, while a 73.45% biofilm dispersal (after 24 h. treatment) was achieved against the preformed biofilm. The MTT assay showed that at 1 mg/mL of CA, the viability of bacteria in the biofilm was markedly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) reduced to 73.44%. Moreover, polysaccharide (EPS) was reduced to 24.80 μg/mL and protein (EPS) to 41.47 μg/mL. ImageJ software (version 1.54 g) was used to process florescence images, and it was observed that the biofilm mass was reduced to 213 (μm<sup>2</sup>); the surface coverage was reduced to 0.079%. Furthermore, the 3D surface plots showed that the untreated biofilm was highly dense, with more fibril-like projections. Additionally, molecular docking predicted a possible interaction pattern of CA (ligand) with the receptor Competence Stimulating Peptide (UA159sp, PDB ID: 2I2J). Our findings suggest that CA has antibacterial and biofilm control efficacy against <i>S. mutans</i> associated with dental plaque under tested conditions.