Effects of extracts and isolated compounds from natural products against mixed biofilm of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans

• Grant number: 22/03624-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Kelly Ishida
• Grantee: Marcello Vittorio Bertachini de Ferrari
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Dental cavities is one of the most common diseases afflict to human beings. This illness depends on multiple factors to infect the oral environment of an individual, one of the main etiological factors being dental plaque. The dental plaque, a polymicrobial biofilm, shows cariogenic factors that originate from interactions between distinct microorganisms present in its composition. Amidst those interactions, the mutually beneficial interaction between Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans highlights, both microorganisms are detected on the healthy oral microbiota. Even so, when the environment changes to a state of dysbiosis the interaction between those microorganisms strengthens their virulence factors, it enhances dental cavities into a more pathogenic form, furthermore it increases the resistance against antimicrobial drugs and host defenses. In addition, the use of Chlorhexidine mouthwashes, the main agent against dental caries, on products used regularly is questioned by the lack of effectiveness. Thereby, new compounds with the potential to prevent caries must be analyzed, thus, in this circumstance, bioactive natural products, and their semi-synthetic derivatives show themselves as a source of options. Therefore, this project aims to evaluate the antifungal and antibacterial activity of extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds from plants of the families Asteraceae and Bignoniaceae against planktonic cells and single and mixed biofilm of C. albicans and S. mutans, creating better routine options for cavities prevention.