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Quantitative evaluation of bacteria adherent to polyelectrolyte HEMA‐based hydrogels
Author(s) -
Berlutti Francesca,
Rosso Franco,
Bosso Pietro,
Giansanti Francesco,
Ajello Maria,
De Rosa Alfredo,
Farina Ernesto,
Antonini Giovanni,
Valenti Piera
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.10026
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , adhesion , methacrylate , materials science , cationic polymerization , polyelectrolyte , polymer , bacteria , streptococcus sobrinus , streptococcus oralis , microorganism , polyacrylamide , microbiology and biotechnology , monomer , streptococcus mutans , polymer chemistry , biology , composite material , genetics
The use of adhesive poly(HEMA)‐based hydrogels is standard practice in dental restorative procedures. Microorganisms, which potentially can cause oral pathologies, may colonize these polymers. In the present work, bacterial adhesion to polymers prepared with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and to different molar ratios of 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane‐sulfonic acid (AMPS) and/or to 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl‐tri‐methyl‐ammonium chloride (METAC) co‐monomers were tested. A colorimetric assay system that utilizes the Microbo revelation medium (Microbo srl, Rome, Italy) for microbial counts is shown to be capable of counting the number of adherent bacterial cells without removing them from polymer surfaces. In conditions that mimic those present in the oral cavity, similar bacterial adhesion percentages on the same polymer were observed with the different bacteria belonging to both gram‐positive and gram‐negative genera, such as Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus oralis (resident microorganisms in the oral cavity) and Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (transient microorganisms in the oral cavity). It is determined that the physico‐chemical characteristics of poly(HEMA)‐based hydrogels are the major factors promoting bacterial adhesion, which increased with increasing water content in the swollen polymers, reaching maximal values on the cationic polymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 67A: 18–25, 2003