Hydrogen peroxide produced by oral Streptococci induces macrophage cell death.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced by members of the mitis group of oral streptococci plays important roles in microbial communities such as oral biofilms. Although the cytotoxicity of H2O2 has been widely recognized, the effects of H2O2 produced by oral streptococci on host defense systems remain unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effect of H2O2 produced by Streptococcus oralis on human macrophage cell death. Infection by S. oralis was found to stimulate cell death of a THP-1 human macrophage cell line at multiplicities of infection greater than 100. Catalase, an enzyme that catalyzes the decomposition of H2O2, inhibited the cytotoxic effect of S. oralis. S. oralis deletion mutants lacking the spxB gene, which encodes pyruvate oxidase, and are therefore deficient in H2O2 pr

SUBMITTER: Okahashi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3643943 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature