Use of a High-throughput In Vitro Microfluidic System to Develop Oral Multi-species Biofilms

Summary

The goal of this methods paper is to describe the use of a microfluidic system for the development of multi-species biofilms that contain species typically identified in human supragingival dental plaque. Methods to describe biofilm architecture, biofilm viability, and an approach to harvest biofilm for culture-dependent or culture-independent analyses are highlighted.

Abstract

There are few high-throughput in vitro systems which facilitate the development of multi-species biofilms that contain numerous species commonly detected within in vivo oral biofilms. Furthermore, a system that uses natural human saliva as the nutrient source, instead of artificial media, is particularly desirable in order to support the expression of cellular and biofilm-specific properties that mimic the in vivo communities. We describe a method for the development of multi-species oral biofilms that are comparable, with respect to species composition, to supragingival dental plaque, under conditions similar to the human oral cavity. Specifically, this methods article will describe how a commercially available microfluidic system can be adapted to facilitate the development of multi-species oral biofilms derived from and grown within pooled saliva. Furthermore, a description of how the system can be used in conjunction with a confocal laser scanning microscope to generate 3-D biofilm reconstructions for architectural and viability analyses will be presented. Given the broad diversity of microorganisms that grow within biofilms in the microfluidic system (including Streptococcus, Neisseria, Veillonella, Gemella, and Porphyromonas), a protocol will also be presented describing how to harvest the biofilm cells for further subculture or DNA extraction and analysis. The limits of both the microfluidic biofilm system and the current state-of-the-art data analyses will be addressed. Ultimately, it is envisioned that this article will provide a baseline technique that will improve the study of oral biofilms and aid in the development of additional technologies that can be integrated with the microfluidic platform.

Introduction

Biofilms are architecturally complex communities of bacteria that are aggregated on surfaces ¹. These communities typically contain numerous species that interact with one another within the biofilm ². Oral biofilms, the most visually conspicuous being dental plaque, are a persistent problem in humans and their uncontrolled development results in the generation of taxonomically diverse multi-species communities ³. The component bacteria of these diverse communities can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antimicrobials than their free-floating (planktonic) counterparts ^4-6. Failure to treat these oral biofilm communities,....

Protocol

The saliva collection protocol described herein was reviewed by the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board for Human Subject Research.
NOTE: With regard to institutional reviews for human subject work of this type, prior arrangements and permissions should be garnered from the host institution. In particular, depending on the institution, IRB or ethics approval might need to be sought and approved before saliva collection from human volunteers can proceed. As an aid to preparing an application, a useful NIH algorithm/chart can be found here: http://grants1.nih....

Results

3D Rendering of Biofilms

Representative results are shown in Figure 3. A useful tool in IMARIS software is the option to examine each slice of the collected biofilm stack and to combine them to create three-dimensional reconstructions. In addition, artificial shadowing effects can be added to help visually interpret three-dimensional structures. The rendered biofilms can be orientated in any direction with different magnifications to explore biofilm o.......

Discussion

This methods paper highlights the basic steps required to setup and run a microfluidic system in a manner to allow for the development of oral multi-species biofilms derived from pooled human saliva and grown in filter-sterilized 25% pooled human saliva. Approaches to characterize the biofilm are given but it should be remembered that these described approaches are modifiable and additional technologies such as, for example, stains or labels can be introduced. As a matter of example, one could conceivably use labeled ant.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Falcon 50 ml Conical Centrifuge Tubes	Fisher Scientific	14-432-22
Falcon 15 ml Conical Centrifuge Tubes	Fisher Scientific	14-959-49D
Dithiothreitol (White Crystals or Powder/Electrophoresis), Fisher BioReagents	Fisher Scientific	BP172-5
Sorval ultracentrifuge  (SS-34 compatible)	Thermoscientific	Unit-dependent
Thermo Scientific SS-34 Rotor	Thermoscientific	28-020
Thermo Scientific Type 1 Reagent Grade Deionized Water	Thermo  Scientific Inc	23-290-065
Nalgene Rapid-Flow Filter Units and Bottle Top Filters, PES Membrane, Sterile.	VWR	73520-986
Glycerol	Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc	NC0542269
BioFlux microfluidic system	Fluxion	Bioflux 200 system
Bioflux 24-channel plate	Fluxion	910-0004
PBS (Gibco)	Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc	10010023
LIVE/DEAD stain (Invitrogen)	Invitrogen	L7012
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope	Lecia	SPE or eqivalent system
Epifluorescence Microscope	Multiple choices	Multiple choices
Pyrosequencing facilities	Multiple choices	Multiple choices
Decon SaniHol 70 Ethanol Solution	Fisher Scientific	04-355-122
Ultra Low Temperature Freezer -80 °C	Multiple choices	Multiple choices
Tips (20, 200, and 1,000 μl)	Multiple choices	Multiple choices
Single Channel Variable Volume Pipettors (20, 200, 1,000 μl)	Multiple choices	Multiple choices
Software
Bioflux dedicated software	Bioflux
Imaris	Bitplane
Leica SPE	Leica
ImageJ	Freeware (http://imagej.nih.gov/ij/)
COMSTAT/COMSTAT 2	Freeware (http://www.comstat.dk/)