12th International Conference of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) are considered a virulence factor of Streptococcus mutans and contribute to the formation and accumulation of cariogenic biofilm. Considering that the fungus, Trichoderma harzianum, has been reported as a source of enzyme that can break EPS, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of an enzymatic extract synthesized by T. harzianum on cariogenic biofilm of S. mutans. EPS were added to the medium containing T. harzianum to induce enzyme production by the fungus. S. mutans biofilms were formed simulating ‘feast-famine’ episodes of exposure to sucrose that occur in the oral cavity. On the third day of the experiment, biofilms were exposed to the treatments: a) 0.9% NaCl b) 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate solution c) Extract of enzymes from T. harzianum. The results suggest that the fungal enzyme was able to break EPS of the cariogenic biofilm, which may contribute to the control of cariogenic biofilm.