Chewing Gum Made from Lablab Beans Reduces HPV by 93% and Nearly Eradicates Cancer-Linked Oral Bacteria
核心洞察
A bioengineered chewing gum containing the antiviral protein FRIL (搜索) reduced HPV levels by 93% in saliva and 80% in oral rinse samples from head and neck cancer patients.
A modified version with the antimicrobial peptide protegrin (搜索) nearly eliminated Porphyromonas gingivalis (搜索) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (搜索) while preserving beneficial oral bacteria.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, support advancing these therapies to clinical trials as adjuvants or prophylaxis for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (搜索).
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine have developed a bioengineered chewing gum that dramatically reduces human papillomavirus (搜索) (HPV) and nearly eradicates two bacterial species linked to head and neck cancer, according to findings published in Scientific Reports.
"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," said lead author Henry Daniell in a press release. "The global increase in oropharyngeal cancer is linked to HPV infection. And Pg and Fn infections worsen survival rates of untreated recurrent or metastatic oral cancer, even after surgery and risk-adjusted adjuvant, or supplemental, therapies."
Targeting Carcinogenic Microbes with a Novel Platform
The research team collected saliva and oral-rinse samples from patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (搜索) (HNSCC), a fast-growing cancer of the oral and throat mucosa with poor prognosis when detected at advanced stages. They focused on three cancer-associated microbes: HPV, Porphyromonas gingivalis (搜索) (Pg), and Fusobacterium nucleatum (搜索) (Fn).
The gum, made from lablab beans (hyacinth beans), naturally contains FRIL (搜索), an antiviral protein. When tested on patient samples, extracts from the gum reduced HPV levels by 93% in saliva samples and by 80% in oral rinse samples. Among 14 patients whose saliva was evaluated, HPV reduction was observed in 13. The rate of HPV agglutination varied: five patients showed 100% agglutination, five showed 86–99%, one showed 61%, and two showed less than 50%. In gargle samples from 30 additional patients, 100% agglutination was confirmed in 13 of 22 HPV-positive patients, with overall agglutination of 67–100% in approximately 80% of HPV-positive patients.
Dual-Action Antibacterial Modification
The team further engineered the gum to incorporate protegrin (搜索), an antimicrobial peptide capable of killing harmful bacteria. A single dose of this modified gum reduced Pg and Fn levels to near zero while leaving beneficial oral bacteria largely unaffected. This selectivity is clinically significant because conventional treatments such as radiation therapy can disrupt the oral microbiome and promote overgrowth of opportunistic organisms like Candida albicans.
"Our findings support the value of advancing these therapies to clinical trials as adjuvants with current treatments or as prophylaxis to prevent infection and transmission," said Daniell. The researchers noted that many anticancer drugs approved in recent years have not significantly improved patients' quality of life or five-year survival rates, underscoring the need for novel approaches that can be used in combination with existing treatments.