Combining chemistry and topography to fight biofilm formation: Fabrication of micropatterned surfaces with a peptide-based coating

This paper describes the fabrication of antifouling surfaces by the combination of topography and peptide chemistry. The topography of the surface mimics the skin of the shark that can resist biofouling by having a certain microtopography. A peptide-based coating that resists fouling self-assembles on these surfaces. In biofilm formation assays, performed under static conditions, the resulting combination (micropattern with peptide coating) has superior antifouling properties against the Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains tested (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively) when compared to both micropatterned and peptide-coated surfaces. The same behavior was observed in dynamic assays performed in a parallel plate flow chamber (PPFC) setup, where E. coli could not attach to the micropatterned surface coated with peptide during the 30 min of initial adhesion. These assays, mimicking physiological shear stress conditions, suggest that the peptide-coated surface with micropatterned topography may be promising in reducing adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation in biomedical devices such as urinary catheters and stents, and cardiovascular, dental and orthopedic implants.