Characterization of a marine-derived dextranase and its application to the prevention of dental caries

Abstract

The dextranase added in current commercial dextranase-containing mouthwashes is largely from fungi. However, fungal dextranase has shown much higher optimum temperature than bacterial dextranase and relatively low activity when used in human oral cavities. Bacterial dextranase has been considered to be more effective and suitable for dental caries prevention. In this study, a dextranase (Dex410) from marine Arthrobacter sp. was purified and characterized. Dex410 is a 64-kDa endoglycosidase. The specific activity of Dex410 was 11.9 U/mg at optimum pH 5.5 and 45 °C. The main end-product of Dex410 was isomaltotriose, isomaltoteraose, and isomaltopentaose by hydrolyzing dextran T2000. In vitro studies showed that Dex410 effectively inhibited the Streptococcus mutans biofilm growth in coverage, biomass, and water-soluble glucan (WSG) by more than 80, 90, and 95 %, respectively. The animal experiment revealed that for short-term use (1.5 months), both Dex410 and the commercial mouthwash Biotene (Laclede Professional Products, Gardena, CA, USA) had a significant inhibitory effect on caries (p = 0.0008 and 0.0001, respectively), while for long-term use (3 months), only Dex410 showed significant inhibitory effect on dental caries (p = 0.005). The dextranase Dex410 from a marine-derived Arthrobacter sp. strain possessed the enzyme properties suitable to human oral environment and applicable to oral hygiene products.

Analysis of the mechanical stability and surface detachment of matureStreptococcus mutansbiofilms by applying a range of external shear forces

“…Recently, a new bacterially produced dextranase (from a marine-derived strain of Arthrobacter sp.) with enhanced activity has been shown to be highly effective in disrupting S. mutans biofilms in vitro and in reducing caries development in vivo using a rodent model (Jiao et al 2014). Furthermore, other matrix-degrading enzymes such as DNase I and Dispersin B have also been shown to disrupt biofilms (Kostakioti et al 2013), including S. mutans biofilms Das et al 2011;Peterson et al 2013;Sumei et al 2014).…”

Chemical Plaque Control Strategies in the Prevention of Biofilm-associated Oral Diseases

“…55,56 However, fungal dextranases are reported to show higher optimal temperature in the range 50 to 60°C; hence, they might not be effective in oral use. 57,58 Recently, bacterial dextranases are suggested to be more useful. These bacterial dextranase, especially those from marine origin that are high salt tolerant and stable in a wide range of temperature with the optimal temperature of 35.5°C, could be more suitable for oral use.…”

Arthrobacter as Biofactory of Therapeutic Enzymes

“…It is used in oral care products like toothpaste and mouthwash for effective dental caries prevention. It is also used in the manufacturing of blood substitutes [33,34,35].…”