Study of the Adhesion of the Human Gut Microbiota on Electrospun Structures.

Francesco Biagini,Monica Mattioli-Belmonte,Chiara Magliaro,Giovanni Vozzi,Marco Calvigioni,Carmelo De Maria,Francesca Montemurro,Emilia Ghelardi,Francesco Celandroni,Diletta Mazzantini

doi:10.3390/bioengineering9030096

Francesco Biagini, Monica Mattioli-Belmonte + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9030096

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Abstract

Although the adhesion of bacteria on surfaces is a widely studied process, to date, most of the works focus on a single species of microorganisms and are aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial properties of biomaterials. Here, we describe how a complex microbial community, i.e., the human gut microbiota, adheres to a surface to form stable biofilms. Two electrospun structures made of natural, i.e., gelatin, and synthetic, i.e., polycaprolactone, polymers were used to study their ability to both promote the adhesion of the human gut microbiota and support microbial growth in vitro. Due to the different wettabilities of the two surfaces, a mucin coating was also added to the structures to decouple the effect of bulk and surface properties on microbial adhesion. The developed biofilm was quantified and monitored using live/dead imaging and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the electrospun gelatin structure without the mucin coating was the optimal choice for developing a 3D in vitro model of the human gut microbiota.

Highlights

Biofilms are complex microbial communities formed by the cooperation of microorganisms growing on a surface [1]
We demonstrated that gelatin electrospun structures are able to promote the adhesion and proliferation of the microorganisms constituting the human gut microbiota [2]
Here we present a concise study on the human gut microbiota adhesion on electrospun structures with different physical and mechanical properties

Summary

Introduction

Biofilms are complex microbial communities formed by the cooperation of microorganisms growing on a surface [1]. Their formation is typically exploited as an index of culture well-being [2]. The bacterial adhesion process on surfaces is related to a combination of physical (e.g., van der Waals interactions, electrostatic forces) and chemical (e.g., adhesive characteristics proper of bacteria) forces, which are strengthened by the presence of extracellular matrices and typical appendages on the bacterial cells (i.e., fimbriae, pili, and flagella) [5,6]. The physio-chemical properties of the material constituting the substrate (e.g., surface charge, wettability, stiffness, roughness), as well as the presence of topological features on its surface (e.g., nanopillars, honeycomb structures, squares), can promote or Bioengineering 2022, 9, 96.

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