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REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Pharmacology of Infectious Diseases
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1548117
This article is part of the Research Topic Treatment of Infectious Diseases with Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Plants: Their Mechanisms and Applications - Volume II View all 5 articles
Natural compounds: new therapeutic approach for inhibition of Streptococcus mutans and dental caries
Provisionally accepted- 1 Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
- 2 Khomein University of Medical Sciences, khomein, Iran
- 3 Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Hamadan, Iran
Streptococcus mutans is recognized as one of the leading causes of dental caries, and biofilm formation by this bacterium plays a key role in dental plaque development and caries progression. Given the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics and the adverse effects of some synthetic antimicrobials, the search for natural alternatives has received increasing attention. The recently published studies have demonstrated that natural compounds (NCs) such as curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, thymol, carvacrol, epigallocatechin gallate, farnesol, catechin, inulin, menthol, apigenin, myricetin, oleanolic acid, and resveratrol, have notable antimicrobial properties and can effectively inhibit the growth of S. mutans. NCs can disrupt bacterial membrane integrity, leading to cell death, and possess the capability to inhibit acid production, which is a key factor in caries development. NCs can also interfere with bacterial adhesion to surfaces, including teeth. The attachment inhibition is achieved by decreasing the expression of adhesion factors such as gtfs, ftf, fruA, and gbpB. NCs can disrupt bacterial metabolism, inhibit biofilm formation, disperse existing biofilm, and interfere with quorum sensing and two-component signal transduction systems. Moreover, novel drug delivery platforms were used to enhance the bioavailability and stability of NCs. Studies have also indicated that NCs exhibit significant efficacy in combination therapies. Notably, curcumin has shown promising results in photodynamic therapy against S. mutans. The current review article analyzes the mechanisms of action of various NCs against S. mutans and investigates their potential as alternative or complementary therapeutic options for managing this bacterium and dental caries.
Keywords: natural compounds, Streptococcus mutans, Biofilm, Dental Caries, New treatment
Received: 19 Dec 2024; Accepted: 12 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kashi, Varseh, Hariri, Chegini and Shariati. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zahra Chegini, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Hamadan, Iran
Aref Shariati, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
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