Bioactivity and architecture of Candida albicans biofilms developed on poly(methyl methacrylate) resin surface

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioactivity and architecture of Candida albicans biofilms developed on the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resin. To do this, surface roughness (SR) and surface free energy of PMMA specimens were measured. Next, the biofilms of two different C. albicans strains (ATCC 90028 and SC5314) were allowed to develop on the PMMA surface and evaluated at 24, 48, and 72 h after adhesion. The bioactivity of the biofilms was measured by the XTT reduction assay. Biofilm topography was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Confocal microscopy was used to evaluate the architectural properties of bio-volume, average thickness, biofilm roughness, surface area/volume ratio and the proportion of live/dead cells in the different biofilm development stages. SR and SFE had no influence on biofilm development. Each strain exhibited a different biofilm activity (P < 0.001). Confocal images showed different architectures for the different biofilm development stages. We conclude that the main differences detected in biofilm bioactivity and architecture were related to the characteristics of each C. albicans strain and to biofilm development time. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 94B:149-156, 2010.