Plant-based chewing gum reduces oral microbes associated with head and neck cancer
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers remain a significant clinical challenge, and growing evidence has linked the oral microbiome to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development, progression or recurrence. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine have investigated whether a plant-based chewing gum formulation can reduce HNSCC-associated oral pathogens. The findings suggest that this approach could eventually be explored as a locally delivered adjunct for lowering microbial risk factors associated with oral and oropharyngeal cancer.
The research team collected saliva and oral rinse samples from patients with HNSCC and exposed these in the laboratory to extracts prepared from the chewing gum. The chewing gum formulation contained a protein derived from lablab beans that can bind to viruses and trap them, helping to prevent their entry into host cells.
The researchers then optimised the chewing gum formulation by adding an antimicrobial peptide, seeking to target Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, oral bacteria that have been implicated in oral cancer and HNSCC progression and survival outcomes. In ex vivo experiments, they found that the formulation reduced the concentration of both bacteria in saliva and oral rinse samples by more than 99%. The study also reported only minimal effects on selected non-pathogenic oral bacteria.
According to lead researcher Prof. Henry Daniell, the next step is clinical evaluation after regulatory authorisation: “Based on the successful reduction of these pathogens in ex vivo clinical studies, we plan to advance antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums for evaluation in HNSCC patients after authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration of an investigational new drug application”.
The study was published online in Scientific Reports.
