Targets for hydrogen-peroxide-induced damage to suspension and biofilm cells of Streptococcus mutans

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is considered a major endogenous source of oxidative stress to oral bacteria and also is widely used in oral care products. Our study objectives were to identify specific targets for H2O2-induced damage to cells of Streptococcus mutans in suspensions and monospecies biofilms and to differentiate bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions of the peroxide. Streptococcus mutans was grown in suspension cultures and fed-batch biofilms for assessing relative sensitivities of viability, glycolysis, and protein synthesis to H2O2 damage. Biofilm cells were found to have essentially the same peroxide sensitivity as cells in suspensions. H2O2 at low concentrations of about 16.3 mmol/L was highly inhibitory for glycolysis and mainly bacteriostatic. The most sensitive target detected for glycolytic inhibition was glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) values of ca. 2.2 mmol/L for suspension cells and 2.3 mmol/L for biofilms with 15 min treatments. The phosphoenolpyruvate:glucose phosphotransferase pathway was less sensitive with an IC50 of ca. 10 mmol/L. Aldolase was not inhibited at bacteriostatic concentrations of the peroxide. For suspensions and biofilms, acidification somewhat diminished peroxide sensitivity, while increased temperature enhanced sensitivity. At concentrations above about 30 mmol/L, H2O2 became mainly bactericidal but not mutagenic for S. mutans. A major target for bactericidal damage was protein synthesis, thus rendering cells incapable of repairing or replacing oxidatively damaged proteins.