Xylitol inhibits carcinogenic acetaldehyde production by Candida species

Abstract

Acetaldehyde is a highly toxic and mutagenic product of alcohol fermentation and metabolism which has been classified as a Class I carcinogen for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Many Candida species representing oral microbiota have been shown to be capable of marked acetaldehyde production. The aim of our study was to examine the effects of various sugar alcohols and sugars on microbial acetaldehyde production. The study hypothesis was that xylitol could reduce the amount of acetaldehyde produced by Candida. Laboratory and clinical isolates of seven Candida species were selected for the study. The isolates were incubated in 12 mM ethanol and 110 mM glucose, fructose or xylitol at 37°C for 30 min and the formed acetaldehyde was measured by gas chromatography. Xylitol significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced the amount of acetaldehyde produced from ethanol by 84%. In the absence of xylitol, the mean acetaldehyde production in ethanol incubation was 220.5 μM and in ethanol–xylitol incubation 32.8 μM. This was found to be mediated by inhibition of the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Coincubation with glucose reduced the amount of produced acetaldehyde by 23% and coincubation with fructose by 29%. At concentrations that are representative of those found in the oral cavity during the intake of proprietary xylitol products, xylitol was found to reduce the production of carcinogenic acetaldehyde from ethanol by Candida below the mutagenic level of 40–100 μM.

A Comparative In Vitro Study of Two Denture Cleaning Techniques as an Effective Strategy for Inhibiting Candida albicans Biofilms on Denture Surfaces and Reducing Inflammation

“…Clinical management is required in all cases when possible. This is especially important given the possibility of C. albicans to proliferate unchecked within the oral cavity, a situation implicated to be associated with oral malignancies 26 . Therefore, in addition to daily oral hygiene practices, denture decontamination is pivotal to reducing and eliminating Candida spp.…”

Are oral and dental diseases linked to cancer?

“…(Nieminen et al , 2009, Uittamo et al, 2009) proved able to convert ethanol into acetaldehyde in vitro . Interestingly, xylitol, a widely used non‐cariogenic polyol sweetener, markedly reduced (by 84%) the production of acetaldehyde by Candida when incubated with or without ethanol (Uittamo et al , 2010). However, it remains to be seen whether these findings will lead to novel strategies against oral cancer.…”

Acetaldehyde production by major oral microbes

“…To clarify the contribution of total oral bacteria to ACH production in the oral cavity after ethanol consumption, it is important to assess the capacity of each oral microbe to produce ACH from ethanol. On the other hand, it has been reported recently that xylitol inhibits ACH production by Candida species (Uittamo et al , ). This report has provided information regarding control of not only fungal ACH production but also that by bacteria.…”