title: The effect of apo-transferrin on bacterial adhesion to biomaterials.
abstract: Apo-transferrin (apo-Tf), the iron deficient form of Tf, has been identified previously as a potent inhibitor of Staphylococcus epidermidis adhesion to polyurethane surfaces. In this study, the ability of apo-Tf to suppress the adhesion of two other strains of bacteria, namely a Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and a Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa to several biomaterials, including polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylate, and silicone, is documented. The presence of apo-Tf in the medium at 20 microg/ml lowered bacterial adhesion to all tested biomaterials more than fourfold. Moreover, apo-Tf exerted its inhibitory activity even when protein coated surfaces were used as substrates for bacterial adhesion. To emphasize the importance of apo-Tf in the prevention of bacterial adhesion, human serum was depleted of Tf, employing affinity chromatography, and was shown to lose its inhibitory activity toward bacterial adhesion. Upon addition of apo-Tf to Tf-depleted serum, the activity was reestablished, resulting in a marked reduction in the number of bacteria adhered to the surfaces. Following the enzymatic deglycosylation, apo-Tf retained its ability to prevent bacterial adhesion. These results indicate that the carbohydrate moiety does not seem to play a role in this activity. The presented data provide the evidence that the inhibitory activity of apo-Tf is not bacterial strain specific and that the presence of apo-Tf in the medium results in a significant reduction of bacterial adhesion to a variety of neat and/or protein coated surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ardehali
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jarmila
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Janatova
authors.forename: S Fazal
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Mohammad
authors.forename: Gregory L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Burns
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001059:Apoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002417:Cattle; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000494:pharmacology; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects*; D012828:Silicones / Q000494:pharmacology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects*; D014168:Transferrin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001059:Apoproteins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011137:Polystyrenes; D011140:Polyurethanes; D012828:Silicones; D014168:Transferrin; C028284:apotransferrin; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate