Decades of contradictory results have obscured the exact role of adsorbed fibronectin in the adhesion of the bacterium, Staphylococcus epidermidis, to biomaterials. Here, the ability of adsorbed fibronectin (FN) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) to modulate S. epidermidis adhesion to various biomaterials is reported. FN or BSA was adsorbed in increasing surface densities up to saturated monolayer coverage onto various common biomaterials, including poly(ethylene terephthalate), fluorinated ethylene propylene, poly(ether urethane), silicone, and borosilicate glass. Despite the wide range of surface characteristics represented, adsorption isotherms varied only subtly between materials for the two proteins considered. S. epidermidis adhesion to the various protein-coated biomaterials was quantified in a static-fluid batch adhesion assay. Although slight differences in overall adherent cell numbers were observed between the various protein-coated substrata, all materials exhibited significant dose-dependent decreases in S. epidermidis adhesion with increasing adsorption of either protein (FN, BSA) to all surfaces. Results here indicate that S. epidermidis adhesion to FN-coated surfaces is not a specific adhesion (i.e., receptor: ligand) mediated process, as no significant difference in adhesion was found between FN- and BSA-coated materials. Rather, results indicate that increasing surface density of either FN or BSA actually inhibited S. epidermidis adhesion to all biomaterials examined.
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