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Efficacy of Ceragenins in Controlling the Growth of Oral Microorganisms: Implications for Oral Hygiene Management

Authors :
Michał Czarnowski
Monika Słowińska
Mariusz Sawieljew
Urszula Wnorowska
Tamara Daniluk
Grzegorz Król
Maciej Karasiński
Sławomir Okła
Paul B. Savage
Ewelina Piktel
Robert Bucki
Source :
Pharmaceuticals, Vol 17, Iss 2, p 204 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Ensuring proper dental hygiene is of paramount importance for individuals’ general well-being, particularly for patients receiving medical care. There is a prevailing utilization of conventional oral hygiene items, including toothbrushes and mouthwashes, which have gained widespread acceptance; nevertheless, their limitations encourage investigating novel options in this domain. Our study indicates that ceragenins (CSAs) being lipid analogs of host defense peptides, well-recognized for their wide-ranging antimicrobial properties, may be a potentially efficacious means to augment oral hygiene in hospitalized individuals. We demonstrate that ceragenins CSA-13, CSA-44, and CSA-131 as well as undescribed to date CSA-255 display potent antimicrobial activities against isolates of fungi, aerobic, and anaerobic bacteria from Candida, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Bacteroides species, which are well-recognized representatives of microbes found in the oral cavity. These effects were further confirmed against mono- and dual-species fungal and bacterial biofilms. While the ceragenins showed similar or slightly diminished efficacy compared to commercially available mouthwashes, they demonstrated a highly favorable toxicity profile toward host cells, that may translate into better maintenance of host mucosal membrane stability. This suggests that incorporating ceragenins into oral hygiene products could be a valuable strategy for reducing the risk of both oral cavity-localized and secondary systemic infections and for improving the overall health outcomes of individuals receiving medical treatment.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
17020204 and 14248247
Volume :
17
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Pharmaceuticals
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5a1ac1ba9ad74aae8beae988a20374d8
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17020204