Evaluation of extracellular polymeric substances matrix volume, surface roughness and bacterial adhesion property of oral biofilm

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Oral biofilms are highly structured bacterial colonies embedded in a highly hydrated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) matrix. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of oral biofilm at different stages of maturation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oral multispecies biofilms were grown anaerobically from plaque bacteria on collagen coated hydroxyapatite discs in brain heart infusion broth for one and three weeks. The volume of live bacteria and EPS matrix of the biofilms were determined by using corresponding fluorescent probes and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to quantitatively probe and correlate cell surface adhesion force of biofilms. The surface roughness was quantified in terms of the root mean square average of the height deviations. Adhesion was measured from force–distance data for the retraction of the cell from the surface. RESULTS: The volume of live bacteria and EPS of 3-week-old biofilms was higher than 1-week-old biofilms. The surface roughness value in 1-week-old biofilms was significantly higher than that in 3-week-old biofilms. AFM force–distance curve results showed that the adhesion force at the cell–cell interface was significantly more at-tractive than those at bacterial cells surface of both stages biofilms. Adhesion forces between the AFM tip and the surface of bacterial cell were fairly constant, whereas the cell–cell interface experienced greater adhesion forces in the biofilm's development. CONCLUSION: As oral biofilms become mature, EPS volume and cell–cell adhesion forces increase while the surface roughness decreases.