Superhydrophilic co-polymer coatings on denture surfaces reduce Candida albicans adhesion—An in vitro study

• Published in: Archives of oral biology 2018-03, Vol.87, p.143-150
• Main Authors: Hirasawa, Masahiro, Tsutsumi-Arai, Chiaki, Takakusaki, Kensuke, Oya, Toyohisa, Fueki, Kenji, Wakabayashi, Noriyuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Candida albicans; Candida albicans - drug effects; Cell Adhesion - drug effects; Coated Materials, Biocompatible - chemistry; Cross-Linking Reagents - chemistry; Dentistry; Denture; Denture Bases; Denture stomatitis; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; In Vitro Techniques; Materials Testing; Methacrylates - chemistry; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Sulfobetaine methacrylamide; Surface Properties; Wettability; Zwitterionic
• ISSN: 0003-9969; 1879-1506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2017.12.024

•Denture surface coatings made with an SBMAm co-polymer reduces C. albicans adhesion.•A polymer containing SBMAm is more hydrophilic than a conventional polymer.•An effective ratio between SBMAm and the crosslinker minimises fungal adhesion. In this study, we aimed to investigate denture-base-resin coatings prepared with a crosslinkable co-polymer containing sulfobetaine methacrylamide (SBMAm) and the relationship between their surface characteristics and the initial adhesion of Candida albicans (C. albicans). Acrylic resin discs were coated with co-polymers containing various concentrations of SBMAm and N,N’-(4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecadiamine) diacrylamide (JDA) as crosslinking agent. Uncoated discs were used as controls. An acquired pellicle was formed on each disc using artificial saliva, and the discs were immersed in a suspension of C. albicans (JCM2085) cells. After incubation, tetrazolium salt (XTT-reduction) and colony forming unit (CFU) assays were performed and the morphogenesis of C. albicans was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface roughness, film thickness, and the water contact angle of each disc surface were measured. All coating groups showed significantly lower amounts of adhered C. albicans in the XTT-reduction and CFU assays than the control, confirmed by the SEM images. Many wrinkle structures were observed on the surfaces coated with co-polymers containing more than 30% SBMAm. There were no significant differences in surface roughness among all groups. The co-polymer films on the coated discs were less than 5.0 μm in thickness, and these surfaces exhibited significantly lower mean water contact angles than the control. Crosslinkable co-polymers containing SBMAm can enhance the hydrophilicity of the surface of denture-base resins and reduce the initial adhesion of C. albicans.