Adsorption of [3H]-lipoteichoic acid to hydroxyapatite and its effect on crystal growth

3H-labelled lipoteichoic acid was isolated from Lactobacillus casei cells cultured in the presence of [2-3H]-glycerol. The adsorption characteristics of both native and deacylated [3H]-lipoteichoic acid on to hydroxyapatite crystals were determined in 2.0 mM CaCl2, 50 mM Hepes, pH 7.2. The maximum numbers of adsorption sites per unit surface area were 80 +/- 3 and 49 +/- 2 nmol/m2 for native and deacylated lipoteichoic acid, respectively. At low concentrations, which were previously found to stimulate hydroxyapatite growth in a supersaturated solution (1.0 mM CaCl2, 7.5 mM KH2PO4, 50 mM Hepes, pH 7.2), lipoteichoic acid appeared for a large part adsorbed to the crystals, while crystal growth was delayed when there was an excess of unbound lipoteichoic acid in solution. These results suggest that lipoteichoic acid released from plaque bacteria may have dual effects both on the precipitation of calcium phosphate in dental plaque and on the remineralization of lesions in the underlying hard tissues.