A mouthwash formulated with o-cymen-5-ol and zinc chloride specifically targets potential pathogens without impairing the native oral microbiome in healthy individuals

ABSTRACT

Background

Many antimicrobial compounds in mouthwashes can have a negative impact on the oral microbiome. O-cymen-5-ol, a compound derived from a phytochemical, has a targeted mode of action and is being used as an alternative. However, its effect on the native oral microbiome is unknown.

Aim

To assess the effect of a mouthwash formulated with o-cymen-5-ol and zinc chloride on the oral microbiome of healthy individuals.

Methods

A mouthwash formulated with o-cymen-5-ol and zinc chloride was administered to a cohort of 51 volunteers for 14 days, while another cohort of 49 volunteers received a placebo. The evolution of the oral microbiome in both groups was analysed using a metataxonomic approach.

Results

Analysis of the oral microbiome showed that the mouthwash selectively targeted potential oral pathogens while maintaining the integrity of the rest of the microbiome. Specifically, the relative abundance of several potentially pathogenic bacterial taxa, namely Fusobacteriota, Prevotella, Actinomyces, Granulicatella, Abiotrophia, Lautropia, Lachnoanaerobaculum, Eubacterium (nodatum group) and Absconditabacteriales (SR1) decreased, while the growth of Rothia, a nitrate-reducing bacterium beneficial for blood pressure, was stimulated.

Conclusions

The use of o-cymen-5-ol and zinc chloride as antimicrobial agents in oral mouthwashes is a valuable alternative to classical antimicrobial agents.

KEYWORDS:

• Mouthwash
• cymen-5-ol
• zinc chloride
• pathogens
• oral microbiome

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Kristie Tanner for language correction and critical reading of this manuscript, and the Darwin Bioprospecting wet lab team for their help with the metagenomic DNA extractions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All raw sequencing data acquired in this study have been deposited to the National Center for Biotechnology Information Sequence Read Archive (NCBI/SRA) (www.ncbi.nlm.ni.gov/sra) under BioProjectID PRJNA858625.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/20002297.2023.2185962

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the company Lacer S.A. (Barcelona, Spain).