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Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.01119-08
Copyright (c) 2008, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Bond-Strengthening in Oral Bacterial Adhesion to Salivary Conditioning Films

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Medical Center Groningen, and University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: h.c.van.der.mei{at}med.umcg.nl.

	Abstract

Transition from reversible to irreversible bacterial adhesion is a highly relevant, but poorly understood step in initial biofilm formation. We hypothesize that in oral biofilm formation, irreversible adhesion is caused by bond-strengthening due specific bacterial interactions with salivary conditioning films. Here, we compared initial adhesion of six oral bacterial strains to salivary conditioning films and a BSA-coating and related their adhesion with strengthening of the binding-forces measured with bacteria-coated AFM-cantilevers. All strains adhered in higher numbers to salivary conditioning films than to BSA-coatings and specific bacterial interactions with salivary conditioning films were accompanied by stronger initial adhesion forces. Bond-strengthening occurred on a time scale of several tens of seconds, and was slower for actinomyces than for streptococci. Non-specific interactions between bacteria and BSA-coatings strengthened twofold faster than their specific interactions with salivary conditioning films, likely because specific interactions require closer approach of interacting surfaces with removal of interfacial water and more extensive re-arrangement of surface structures. After bond-strengthening, bacterial adhesion forces with a salivary conditioning film remained stronger than with BSA-coatings.