Photo-activated titanium surface confers time dependent bactericidal activity towards Gram positive and negative bacteria

Titanium (Ti)-based implants are broadly applied in the medical field, but their related infections can lead to implant failure. Photo-irradiation of metal materials to generate antimicrobial agents, an alternative to antibiotics, is a promising method to reduce bacterial infection and antibiotic usage. It is therefore important to understand how bacterial pathogens respond to Ti surfaces. Here, Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, the most prevalent pathogens linked to healthcare-associated infections, were used as model strains. Two different kinds of Ti surfaces respectively stored in dry condition and 0.9 % NaCl solution were applied. Upon UV irradiation and in the absence of bacteria, both tested surfaces exhibited similar bactericidal activity, even though the surfaces stored in 0.9 % NaCl solution generated a slightly higher level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus responded to the irradiated Ti surfaces differently regarding interaction time: the number of viable P. aeruginosa was reduced up to 90 % after 30 min interaction with the treated surfaces compared to the untreated ones, but this reduction is lessened to 69 %–81 % after 240 min. By contrast, UV treatment of surfaces did not impact the viability of S. aureus after 30 min interaction, however, led to more than 99 % reduction after 240 min incubation. These results provide first experimental evidence that Gram negative and positive bacterial species respond to ROS with different inactivation kinetics. This work also demonstrated that treatment with photo-irradiation in the absence of bacteria conferred Ti surfaces with efficient bactericidal activity.