Dental News - Research reveals the power of the body’s defense systems

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 1. October 2018

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CLEVELAND, U.S.: Antibiotic resistance is becoming more of an issue in the dental and medical fields. With overprescription being one of the driving forces of this resistance, the natural capabilities of the human body to heal itself have been forgotten. However, a new study led by a team of Case Western Reserve University researchers has shown that the body's own microbes are effective in maintaining immune cells and killing certain oral infections.

Scientists have been aware for some time that the prescription of antibiotics can do more harm than good; however, research into things such as antibiotic resistance in oral health is still relatively limited. Dr. Pushpa Pandiyan, an assistant professor of biological sciences in Case Western Reserve University’s School of Dental Medicine, led the team of researchers to examine resident bacteria, their fatty acids and their effect on certain types of white blood cells that combat infections in the mouth.

In a laboratory setting, researchers looked at the "short-term maintenance" of Tregs and Th17 cells in fighting fungal infections such as Candida. "We set out to find out what happens when you don't have bacteria to fight a fungal infection," Pandiyan said. "What we found was that antibiotics can kill short-chain fatty acids produced by the body's own good bacteria."

According to the study’s results, the researchers also found that those natural defenses were very effective in reducing infection and unwanted inflammation, and that antibiotics can prevent such natural defenses. Despite the results, Pandiyan was not ruling out the use of antibiotics altogether. "Of course, antibiotics are still needed for life-threatening infections. No question about that,” she said. However, she also noted that the body has good bacteria doing good work every day and that there is no need to kill them.

Looking to the future and what the possibilities might be going forward, Pandiyan said the study could have broader implications on the protective effects of resident microbiota in other types of infections.

The study, titled “Role of Short Chain Fatty Acids in Controlling Tregs and Immunopathology During Mucosal Infection,” was published in Frontiers in Microbiology on Aug. 24.

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