Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages 327-332Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/am404344h
Keywords
in situ biofilms; rheology; Streptococcus mutans; mechanical properties
Funding
- National Research Council (NRC) ARRA postdoctoral Fellowship
- NIDCR/NIH
- NIST [Y1-DE-7005-01]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Insight into live microbial biofilm microstructure and mechanical properties and their interactions with the underlying substrate can lead to the development of new remedial strategies and/or materials. Here we report mechanical properties of dental pathogenic Streptococcus mutans biofilms, grown on a polystyrene coated plate of a shear rheometer in physiologically relevant conditions, precisely controlled in a custom built bioreactor. In situ measurements demonstrated the importance of microstructure and composition of extracellular polymeric substances on the biofilm modulus. The biofilms behave like a weak gel with storage moduli higher than loss moduli. The simple but robust experimental technique presented here can easily be extended to other biofilm-material systems.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available