Physicochemical characterization of glass and polyethylene surfaces treated with different surfactants and their effects on bacterial adhesion

Abstract Bacterial proliferation in the form of biofilm fixed on a substrate is the result of a set of physical, chemical and biological processes. Microbial adhesion to a substrate is often considered to be the result of physicochemical interactions between the substrate and the microbial cells. These interactions include electrostatic interactions, Van der Waals interactions and acid-base interactions (electron donor - electron acceptor). The exact role of these physicochemical properties is still poorly documented. The purpose of this work is to provide some clarifications on this subject. The phenomenon of adhesion is often studied on clean surfaces, whereas in reality, it is always conditioned depending on its environment (medical, food or cosmetic). This is why in the present work we treated two different surfaces: glass and polyethylene, with diverse surfactants: nonionic, anionic and cationic. The choice of surfactants was motivated by its wide application in different fields. The physicochemical properties of the two substrata (treated and untreated) were defined using contact angle measurements. Moreover, the adhesive behavior of Staphylococcus aureus, as a bacterial model, on the studied substratum was assessed. The obtained results indicate that the physicochemical parameters of the two supports have changed in a specific way to each surfactant. The non-ionic surfactant turned both the surfaces more hydrophilic. However, the anionic and cationic surfactants have reversed the physicochemical characteristics of the surfaces. The correlation coefficients of the physicochemical properties and the adhesive behavior show that there is an association between the wettability of the two surfaces and the rate of the adherent cells.