TITLE:
In Silico Approach for the Identification of Potential Targets and Specific Antimicrobials for Streptococcus mutans
AUTHORS:
Andréa Cristina Barbosa da Silva, Diego Romário da Silva, Sabrina Avelar de Macêdo Ferreira, Gustavo Gomes Agripino, Allan Reis Albuquerque, Thaís Gaudencio do Rêgo
KEYWORDS:
Bioinformatics; Antimicrobial Targets; S. mutans
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.5 No.4,
March
12,
2014
ABSTRACT: Tooth decay affects most of the population in
developed countries. The multifactorial etiology of the disease includes
multiple bacterial species, S. mutans is the main pathogen associated with the disease. This bacterium adheres to the
tooth surface and allows the colonization of other microorganisms resulting in
dental biofilm. Several therapeutic agents are available to treat or prevent tooth decay, but none, with the exception of
fluoride, has significantly influenced the disease’s global burden. Moreover,
the probable development of resistance of microorganisms to existing
antibacterial agents and the scarcity of good antimicrobial agents motivates
this effort for innovation. The detailed knowledge obtained in recent years on
the S. mutans allowed the
identification of potential targets in this microorganism, enabling the
development of specific drugs to combat tooth decay. Thus, the identification of
potential targets in these pathogens is the first step in the discovery process
of new therapeutic agents. Currently, the experimental assays used for this
purpose are expensive and time consuming. In contrast, bioinformatics methods
to predict drug targets are cheap, quick and workaday in the biotechnology.
This article will review the potential drug targets in S. mutans, as well as the bioinformatics methods used to identify
these targets and effective drugs for specific pharmacological treatment of dental
caries.