The Role of Hydrogen Peroxide in Environmental Adaptation of Oral Microbial Communities

Abstract

Oral streptococci are able to produce growth-inhibiting amounts of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as byproduct of aerobic metabolism. Several recent studies showed that the produced H 2 O 2 is not a simple byproduct of metabolism but functions in several aspects of oral bacterial biofilm ecology. First, the release of DNA from cells is closely associated to the production of H 2 O 2 in Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii . Extracellular DNA is crucial for biofilm development and stabilization and can also serve as source for horizontal gene transfer between oral streptococci. Second, due to the growth inhibiting nature of H 2 O 2 , H 2 O 2 compatible species associate with the producers. H 2 O 2 production therefore might help in structuring the initial biofilm development. On the other hand, the oral environment harbors salivary peroxidases that are potent in H 2 O 2 scavenging. Therefore, the effects of biofilm intrinsic H 2 O 2 production might be locally confined. However, taking into account that 80% of initial oral biofilm constituents are streptococci, the influence of H 2 O 2 on biofilm development and environmental adaptation might be under appreciated in current research.

Cited by papers we hold 1

• Health-Associated Niche Inhabitants as Oral Probiotics: The Case of Streptococcus dentisani · 2017
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