Novel antimicrobial agents targeting the Streptococcus mutans biofilms discovery through computer technology

Abstract

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent and costly biofilm-associated infectious diseases worldwide. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is well recognized as the major causative factor of dental caries due to its acidogenicity, aciduricity and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) synthesis ability. The EPSs have been considered as a virulent factor of cariogenic biofilm, which enhance biofilms resistance to antimicrobial agents and virulence compared with planktonic bacterial cells. The traditional anti-caries therapies, such as chlorhexidine and antibiotics are characterized by side-effects and drug resistance. With the development of computer technology, several novel approaches are being used to synthesize or discover antimicrobial agents. In this mini review, we summarized the novel antimicrobial agents targeting the S. mutans biofilms discovery through computer technology. Drug repurposing of small molecules expands the original medical indications and lowers drug development costs and risks. The computer-aided drug design (CADD) has been used for identifying compounds with optimal interactions with the target via silico screening and computational methods. The synthetic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) based on the rational design, computational design or high-throughput screening have shown increased selectivity for both single- and multi-species biofilms. These methods provide potential therapeutic agents to promote targeted control of the oral microbial biofilms in the near future.