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Review
. 2023 Dec 12;16(1):2292539.
doi: 10.1080/20002297.2023.2292539. eCollection 2024.

Oxidative stress response: a critical factor affecting the ecological competitiveness of Streptococcus mutans

Xingqun Cheng  1 , Xin Xu  1 , Xuedong Zhou  1 , Jia Ning  2
Affiliations
Review

Oxidative stress response: a critical factor affecting the ecological competitiveness of Streptococcus mutans

Xingqun Cheng et al. J Oral Microbiol. .

Abstract

Oral microecological balance is closely associated with the development of dental caries. Oxidative stress is one of the important factors regulating the composition and structure of the oral microbial community. Streptococcus mutans is linked to the occurrence and development of dental caries. The ability of S. mutans to withstand oxidative stress affects its survival competitiveness in biofilms. The oxidative stress regulatory mechanisms of S. mutans include synthesis of reductase, regulation of metal ions uptake, regulator PerR, transcription regulator Spx, extracellular uptake of glutathione, and other related signal transduction systems. Here, we provide an overview of how S. mutans adapts to oxidative stress and its influence on oral microecology, which may offer novel options to investigate the cariogenic mechanisms of S. mutans in the oral microenvironment, and new targets for the ecological prevention and treatment of dental caries.

Keywords: Streptococcus mutans; dental caries; hydrogen peroxide; oral microecology; oxidative stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
S. mutans is capable of counteracting changes in oxidative stress through various pathways, including reductase synthesis, regulation of metal ion uptake, regulator PerR, transcription regulator Spx, and glutathione (GSH) pathway.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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