Development of a multispecies periodontal biofilm model within a stirred bioreactor

Abstract

The objective of this work was to develop a subgingival biofilm model using a stirred bioreactor. Discs of bovine teeth were adapted to a stirred bioreactor filled with a culture medium containing bacterial species associated with periodontal health or disease. After anaerobic incubation, the biofilms growing on the substratum surfaces were collected and analyzed. The mean number of Colony-forming Units (CFUs) varied, but with no difference between 3 and 7 days of biofilm formation (p > 0.05). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed a uniform biofilm layer covering the cement layer of the root surface containing bacteria with diverse morphology. In checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization, bacterial species were identified in both biofilms. In conclusion, a subgingival biofilm model was developed using a stirred bioreactor, allowing the in vitro reproduction of complex microbial communities. This is an advanced model that may be useful to mimic complex clinical periodontal biofilms.

Keywords:

• Multispecies biofilm
• periodontitis
• stirred bioreactor

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and theConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) funding agencies; to the Central Electronic Microscopy Laboratory (LCME) of the Federal University of Santa Catarina for collaborating with the SEM study; to the Biological Engineering Laboratory (LiEB-UFSC) for the laboratory facilities; and to the University of Guarulhos (UnG) for collaboration with the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Number [001].