A Study of Antimicrobial Agents Affecting Cariogenic Microorganisms.

摘要

The phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent transport system is involved in sugar uptake by a large proportion of the indigenous human oral flora including the bacterial genera Streptococcus,Lactobacillus,Actinomyces,Bacteroides and Neisseria. The oral streptococci use a constitutive PEP-dependent transferase system that results in phosphorylation of carbon 6of glucose. Studies with structural analogues of glucose revealed that sugars with alterations at carbon 2were the most effective inhibitors. S. mutans was inhibited by low concentrations of D-2-deoxyglucose. Growth and acid production from exogenous sugars and storage polysaccharide was repressed. The inhibitor is bacteriostatic and large quantities of 2-deoxyglucose-6-P accumulate during exposure to the analogue. It is concluded that derivatives of glucose with alterations in carbon 2which are nontoxic to humans might be useful in suppressing sugar metabolism and consequently acid production by the human oral flora.