Development of a novel method to prevent an ecological shift in oral polymicrobial biofilms by using bacteriophage therapy.

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05057
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social dentistry
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: KUBONIWA Masae 大阪大学, 歯学研究科, 准教授 (00303983)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 竹内 洋輝 大阪大学, 歯学研究科(研究院), 助教 (40572186) ; 関根 伸一 大阪大学, 歯学部附属病院, 講師 (70506344) ; 永田 英樹 大阪大学, 歯学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (50260641)
• Research Collaborator: SAKANAKA Akito 大阪大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 助教 (90815557)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: バイオフイルム / ディスバイオーシス / Porphyromonas gingivitis / Streptococcus gordonii / Fusobacterium nucleatum / メタボロミクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Dysbiosis is a term for a microbial imbalance or maladaptation on or inside the body, such as an impaired microbiota. Recent studies have provided insights into the emergence and persistence of dysbiotic oral microbial communities, which result in periodontitis. In this model, periodontal disease results not from individual pathogens but rather from polymicrobial synergy and dysbiosis, which perturbs the ecologically balanced biofilm associated with periodontal tissue homeostasis.
When periodontitis becomes advanced, dysbiotic oral microflora excretes increased amounts of specific metabolites. The aims of this study were to identify the key metabolites which promote dysbiosis in subgingival region, and to develop an effective method to prevent the ecological shift resulted in dysbiosis by using bacteriophage therapy.
Although the novel method still has several unsolved matters, we showed an example of mechanisms of oral dysbiosis by using in vitro polymicrobial biofilm model.

Free Research Field

予防歯科学