In Vitro Study on the Inhibitory Effect of Tea Polyphenols on Dual-Species Biofilm of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans

LU Guoying; CHEN Ruonan; HUANG Xiaojing

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Journal of Tea Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3) : 509-520.

In Vitro Study on the Inhibitory Effect of Tea Polyphenols on Dual-Species Biofilm of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans

LU Guoying^1,2, CHEN Ruonan^1,2, HUANG Xiaojing^1,2,*

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Abstract

Based on the broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of tea polyphenols (TP), it was hypothesized that TP could suppress the formation of Streptococcus mutans-Candida albicans dual-species biofilms . Preliminary in vitro validation was conducted. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the mixed biofilms was determined by two-fold serial dilution. Planktonic growth kinetics were monitored by optical-density curves. The MTT colorimetric assay, crystal violet staining, and colony-forming unit were used to determine biofilm metabolic activity, biomass, viable cell number, and adhesion strength, respectively. The expression of virulence-related genes in the biofilms of the two species was analyzed by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. TP exhibited a MIC of 2.0 mg·mL^-1 against the S. mutans-C. albicans dual-species consortium and inhibited planktonic growth in a concentration-dependent manner. TP significantly reduced biofilm metabolic activity, biomass, and viable cell count; At concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg·mL^-1, adhesion rates dropped to approximately 60%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. The pH of the 24-hour culture supernatant in the TP-treated groups was markedly higher than that of the control and increased with concentration. Mechanistically, TP of 2.0 mg·mL^-1 downregulated key virulence gene expression in both species (gtfB, gtfD, gbpA, ftf, glgC in S. mutans and als1, hwp1, ras1 in C. albicans). These results provide initial evidence that TP can disrupt and inhibit mixed S. mutans-C. albicans biofilms in vitro, indicating its potential as a natural agent for modulating oral microecological dysbiosis.

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tea polyphenols / Streptococcus mutans / Candida albicans / dual-species biofilms / oral microbiome

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LU Guoying, CHEN Ruonan, HUANG Xiaojing. In Vitro Study on the Inhibitory Effect of Tea Polyphenols on Dual-Species Biofilm of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans[J]. Journal of Tea Science. 2026, 46(3): 509-520

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