Mechanism of cell integration on biomaterial implant surfaces in the presence of bacterial contamination

Abstract Bacterial contamination during biomaterial implantation is often unavoidable, yielding a combat between cells and bacteria. Here we aim to determine the modulatory function of bacterial components on stem‐cell, fibroblast, and osteoblast adhesion to a titanium alloy, including the role of toll‐like‐receptors (TLRs). Presence of heat‐sacrificed Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa induced dose and cell‐type dependent responses. Stem‐cells were most sensitive to bacterial presence, demonstrating decreased adhesion number yet increased adhesion effort with a relatively large focal adhesion contact area. Blocking TLRs had no effect on stem‐cell adhesion in presence of S. aureus, but blocking both TLR2 and TLR4 induced an increased adhesion effort in presence of E. coli. Neither lipopolysaccharide, lipoteichoic acid, nor bacterial DNA provoked the same cell response as did whole bacteria. Herewith we suggest a new mechanism as to how biomaterials are integrated by cells despite the unavoidable presence of bacterial contamination. Stimulation of host cell integration of implant surfaces may open a new window to design new biomaterials with enhanced healing, thereby reducing the risk of biomaterial‐associated infection of both “hardware‐based” implants as well as of tissue‐engineered constructs, known to suffer from similarly high infection risks as currently prevailing in “hardware‐based” implants. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 3590–3598, 2015.