Effect of high-fructose corn syrup on Streptococcus mutans virulence gene expression and on tooth demineralization

High-fructose corn syrup-55 (HFCS-55) has been widely welcomed in recent years as a substitute for sucrose on the basis of its favourable properties and price. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of HFCS-55 on the expression of Streptococcus mutans UA159 virulence genes and on tooth demineralization. Real-time reverse-transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) and microhardness evaluations were performed to examine gene expression and enamel demineralization, respectively, after treatment with HFCS-55 and/or sucrose. Significant up-regulation of glucosyltransferase B (gtfB) by HFCS-55 was found. A mixture of HFCS-55 and sucrose could positively enhance expression of glucan-binding protein (gbp) genes. Regarding acidogenicity, expression of the lactate dehydrogenase (ldh) gene was unaffected by HFCS-55. A notable finding in this study was that 5% HFCS-55 significantly enhanced expression of the intracellular response gene of the two-component VicRK signal transduction system (vicR). Demineralization testing showed that the microhardness of teeth decreased by a greater extent in response to HFCS-55 than in response to sucrose. The results indicate that HFCS-55 can enhance S. mutans biofilm formation indirectly in the presence of sucrose and that HFCS-55 has a more acidogenic potential than does sucrose. Summing up the real-time PCR and demineralization results, HFCS-55 appears to be no less cariogenic than sucrose in vitro - at least, not under the conditions of our experiments.