Researc

Compiled by O. Valery

MUCUS FOR TOOTH PASTE?

A Research
conducted By
ribbeck $ frenkel phd

Introduction
You brush, You floss daily weekly, or is it monthly?
Maybe once a year, you grit your teeth(dental
checkup), and you do your best to take what the
dentist dishes out; scraping, buzzing, all the tools of
oral torture: chissures etc. Damn all that hurts pretty
much right?
Due to research, I am sad to tell you the shocking
news.

ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

Here Is The Surprise!

Mucus, along with skin and tears, makes up our first
line of defense against disease. They form a physical
barrier against invading germs. And as it turns out,
crucial proteins in mucus called salivary mucins
protect our teeth from a type of bacteria thats
responsible for causing cavities, known as,
streptococcus mutans, according to a study published
this year in the journal Applied and Environmental
Microbiology. Unlike toothpaste mouthwash which kills
bacteria, mucins prevent bacteria from latching onto
teeth and secreting acid that bores holes through a
tooths outer surface, or enamel.

Now, researchers who led the study are engineering

synthetic mucus that could be used as toothpaste or
chewing gum.
That sounds crazy right?
Well, as crazy as it seems, mucus might go well beyond
preventing cavities. Studies suggest that mucins might
also defend against respiratory infection, stomach ulcers
and even HIV. For example, since mucins dont kill
bacteria(they merely prevent bacteria from inflicting
damage), they are seen by some as a better alternative to
antibiotics, which may kill not only harmful bacteria, but
may also certain helpful bacteria, possibly allowing more
dangerous strains to take their place. That means
synthetic mucin might offer less alternative, used not
necessarily to resolve infections but to stabilize or prevent
infection, says Ribbeck, an assistant professor in the
department of biological engineering at MIT.

Cavities form when bacteria like S. mutans cling to our teeth,

forming an intricate mesh-like arrrangement known as biofilm.
The bacteria that makes up the biofilm feeds on sugars from
food we eat to produce acid that can dissolve the tooth enamel.

might guard
against cavitis and
other disease
The research group got down to molecular level and
homed in on a mucin known as MUC5B which happens
to be the most common mucins in the mouth.
First the researchers isolated MUC5B from saliva
samples of volunteers. Then, they grew S. mutans
bacteria with sugar and a special broth in plates
containing wells that were made from plastic often to
model a tooths enamel in lab experiments. Some of
the wells also contain MUC5B.

Observation
In the end, Ribbeck and Frankel counted the number of attached S.
mutans at several points in time and found more of them floating in the
growth broththan to the plastic wells containing MUC5B.
That suggests the mucin somehow prevents S. mutans from sticking to
the tooth surface.
HOW EXACTLY IS THAT?
The researchers arent sure, but its posssible that MUC5B encases S.
mutans in a 3D spiderweb that traps the acid they secrete, says
Ribbeck.
MUC5B might also form bacteria repellent coating over the tooth surface,
or even turn off S. mutans genes involved in attachment.
Ribbeck and Fenkel are still teasing out the most likely mechanism,
though they also suspect that mucins might maintain bacterial diversity in
the mouth by not only keeping S. mutans alive, but also neutralize the
toxins or molecules that different bacterial strains release to
outcompensate each
other

GOOD NEWS TO
FOOD LOVERS
Synthetic mucus could even be used to prevent food spoilage or
biofouling.

Conclusion
Ofcourse, scientists still need to confirm mucins
protective role before they begin to investigate the
mechanisms involved.
Note, this work was done on plastic wells, not on actual
teeth in actual living animals.

Some contradictions
William Bowen, a professor at the University of
Rochesters school of Medicine and Dentistry,
also points out that cavity-causing bacterials
embed themselves in a gluey film that forms
over the tooth, known as plaque-not directly to
the tooth itself.

He also added that, many other bacterias

in the mouth cause cavities, not just S.
mutans.
To the best of my knowledge, I think he is
trying to say that S. mutans are not just
the only major acid producer.
What do you guys think?

FURTHER
CONCLUSIONS
A great scientist never give up, no matter how
hard and difficult things gets
Like great scientist, Ribbenslatinck and Frenkel
never gave up because one professor has
compromise their research, eventhough he had a
right to do so because science is a field where
great precautions must be taken.

O. VALERY

Ribbeck and Frenkel have reported similar results

with other surfaces, hinting at a more general
mechanism

of MUC5B.
These two amazing guys also say that this
synthetic mucus could go far beyond
human health and be used to prevent,
say, food spoilage or accumulation of
bacteria on ship hulls and other surfaces,
a process known as biolouling
The applications are enormous, says
Ribbeck.

THE END

Acknowledgement
For more scientific research journals, mcq qtns,
brain qoutes, and research, you can visit my
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Exploring science for a better future
2015

Valery E