Chewing gum cuts oral cancer-linked microbes by 93%, Penn study finds
Research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums can significantly reduce levels of three microbes linked to oral cancer, opening the door to more effective and affordable therapies.
The study focused on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a common cancer that develops in the lining of the mouth and throat. It is often aggressive and has poor outcomes when diagnosed at advanced stages.
Henry Daniell of Penn’s School of Dental Medicine said most new cancer drugs fail to significantly improve quality of life or five-year survival rates. Building on previous work, researchers used a chewing gum made from lablab beans, also known as hyacinth beans. The beans contain a naturally antiviral protein called FRIL.
Daniell and colleagues examined oral swab samples from HNSCC patients for three microbes linked to cancer: human papillomavirus (HPV), and two bacteria — Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn).“The global increase in oropharyngeal cancer is linked to HPV infection,” Daniell told Penn News. “And Pg and Fn infections worsen survival rates of untreated recurrent or metastatic oral cancer, even after surgery and risk-adjusted adjuvant therapies.”The team found that bean gum extracts reduced HPV levels by 93% in saliva samples and by 80% in oral rinse samples.
When they bioengineered the gum to also contain protegrin, an antimicrobial peptide that kills harmful bacteria, a single dose reduced Pg and Fn to almost zero. Importantly, it did not affect beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.
This contrasts with radiation therapy, which reduces beneficial bacteria and increases disease-causing yeast like Candida albicans.“Lip and oral cavity cancer was the seventh leading cancer type in cancer incidence and mortality rate worldwide in adolescents, young adults, and middle-aged adults in 2022,” Daniell said.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, “support the value of advancing these therapies to clinical trials as adjuvants with current treatments or as prophylaxis to prevent infection and transmission,” he added.
