Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis adhesion to nanohydroxyapatite in the presence of model proteins

Bacterial infections can have adverse effects on the efficacy, lifetime, and safety of an implanted device. The aim of this study was to investigate the initial adhesion of several strains, namely S. aureus and S. epidermidis, on two distinct types of nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA), sintered at 725 °C and 1000 °C. A comparison was also made with nanohydroxyapatite having adsorbed fetal bovine serum (FBS), human fibronectin (FN) and human serum albumin (HSA). Adhered bacterial cells were examined by scanning electron microscopy and quantified as colony forming units after being released by sonication. The wettability of the sample surface with and without adsorbed protein was assessed by contact-angle measurements. NanoHA sintered at 1000 °C showed lower bacterial adhesion than this heat-treated at 725 °C. Adsorption of FBS onto the nanoHA surface caused a decrease in the adhesion of all strains on both materials. The bacterial adhesion patterns in the presence of FN were different for both nanoHA substrates; the adherence of the bacterial strains, except for the clinical strain of S. epidermidis, was significantly higher on nanoHA 1000 in comparison to nanoHA 1000 without protein and the bacterial adhesion on the FN-coated nanoHA 725 was lower in comparison to the bare nanoHA 725. The effect of HSA on bacterial adhesion was concentration and bacterial strain dependent.