Adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae to Polystyrene Plates and Epithelial Cells and the Antiadhesive Potential of Albumin and Xylitol

Abstract

Aimed to prevent Streptococcus pneumoniae biofilm infections, we studied the adherence of nine pneumococcal strains to polystyrene plates and on epithelial cells and the antiadhesive effect of albumin and xylitol. The adherence was variable among strains, but there was a good correlation between their adherent ability and binding to abiotic material and cells. Strains of serotypes 6B and 23F were the most adherent organisms, whereas serotype 3 strains were the least adherent. Human serum albumin (HSA) enhanced bacterial growth at low concentrations (0.5-2.5%) but inhibited it at 10%. Xylitol inhibited bacterial growth of all strains at concentrations ranging from 5 to 15%. Exposure to 0.5-5% HSA in solubilized form and to 5% HSA precoating of plates diminished adherence to polystyrene Ͼ80% for all strains, except for serotype 3 strains. Contrarily, 0.5 and 5% xylitol did not diminish significantly pneumococcal adherence to polystyrene plates or on epithelial cells. Our results suggest that 1) the potential application of HSA coatings on medical devices to inhibit pneumococcal adherence and 2) the possible beneficial effect of xylitol in preventing some pneumococcal infections could be because of its antimicrobial activity rather than to an antiadhesive effect. (Pediatr Res 69: 23-27, 2011)

Advancement of the 10-species subgingival Zurich Biofilm model by examining different nutritional conditions and defining the structure of the in vitro biofilms

“…The observed delay of biofilm formation in iHS medium could be explained possibly by the blocking of adhesion receptors on the saliva pellicle. It was shown for S treptococcus pneumonia and Escherichia coli that albumin inhibits biofilm formation on various surfaces [15,16]. It is very likely that this effect also occurs in our model during colonization of the discs.…”

Serum albumin as a local therapeutic agent in cell therapy and tissue engineering

“…Clinical abscess was found in 62% with uncoated material, which was significantly reduced to 27% if BSA‐coated implants were used, showing the potential biomedical application in orthopedic interventions. In more recent experiments, Ruiz, del Prado and Naves confirmed that serum albumin applied on polystyrene surface is a potent inhibitor of bacterial ( E. coli, S. pneumoniae ) biofilm formation in vitro . For this reason these authors also suggested the application of albumin coating on biomedical materials like tympanostomy tubes, cochlear implants and urinary catheters in order to reduce complications associated with bacterial colonization.…”

“…The anti‐bacterial properties of albumin are widely investigated. By raising the negative surface energy and increasing the hydrophility of different biomaterials, albumin functions as an anti‐attachment protein and prevents biofilm formation . While proteins like fibrinogen, laminin and fibronectin promoted bacterial adherence onto polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) surfaces, albumin coating almost completely reduced the adherence of S. aureus and various coagulase negative Staphylococcus strains .…”

Biofilm Formation by Clinical Isolates and Its Relevance to Clinical Infections

“…In a study of seven E. coli isolates, pre-treatment of polystyrene plates with human albumin signifi cantly reduced biofi lm formation by all strains . Human serum albumin coating of polystyrene plates was found to signifi cantly reduce bacterial adhesion and biofi lm formation in S. pneumoniae Ruiz et al 2011 ). There is also evidence that the anti-adherence effect is species-dependent as albumin coating of titanium surfaces decreased the adhesion of S. mutans , but neither P. gingivalis nor F. nucleatum (Badihi Hauslich et al 2013 ).…”