Comparative Assessment of Fungal Biofilm Development on PEEK and PDMS Biomaterials and the Antifungal Potential of TiO₂/ZrO₂-Coated PEEK.
4 affiliations
- 1Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Zacatenco, Mexico City 07300, Mexico.
- 2Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiología, Laboratorio de Micología Médica, Unidad Profesional Lázaro Cárdenas, Casco de Sto. Tomás, Mexico City 011340, Mexico.
- 3Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Nanociencias y Micro y Nanotecnologías (CNMN), Laboratorio de Microscopía de Barrido de Ultra Alta Resolución, Av. Luis Enrique Erro S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City 07738, Mexico.
- 4Instituto Politécnico Nacional-ESIQIE, Laboratorio de Investigación en Nanomateriales y Energías Limpias, Zacatenco, Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City 07738, Mexico.
Abstract
Polyether ether ketones (PEEK) and polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) are widely used biomaterials; however, their susceptibility to microbial colonization remains a limitation in clinical applications. This study comparatively evaluated biofilm formation by Candida albicans and Nakaseomyces glabratus on PEEK and PDMS and characterized the effect of TiO₂/ZrO₂-based coatings applied to PEEK. Biofilm development was analyzed during adhesion, maturation, and dispersion using biomass quantification, metabolic activity assays, and scanning electron microscopy. Surface modifications were also evaluated. Both species formed a biofilm on the biomaterials, with a significantly higher biomass on the control, followed by PEEK and PDMS. TiO₂/ZrO₂-based coating affected biofilm maturation, with coating B as the one producing the greatest reduction in biofilm development. These findings suggest that surface modifications, such as hydrophobicity, using TiO₂/ZrO₂ coatings may influence fungal biofilm reduction and improve the antimicrobial performance of biomedical materials.
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BibTeX
@article{paz2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative Assessment of Fungal Biofilm Development on PEEK and PDMS Biomaterials and the Antifungal Potential of TiO₂/ZrO₂-Coated PEEK.}},
author = {Gabriela Angeles-de Paz and Luisa Ixchel Perez-Garcia and Fernando Torres-Ariza and Michelle Ramírez-Mireles and Hugo Martínez-Gutiérrez and Martín Daniel Trejo-Valdez and Aída Verónica Rodríguez-Tovar and Christopher René Torres-SanMiguel},
journal = {Materials (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ma19194161},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42882660},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative Assessment of Fungal Biofilm Development on PEEK and PDMS Biomaterials and the Antifungal Potential of TiO₂/ZrO₂-Coated PEEK.
AU - Gabriela Angeles-de Paz
AU - Luisa Ixchel Perez-Garcia
AU - Fernando Torres-Ariza
AU - Michelle Ramírez-Mireles
AU - Hugo Martínez-Gutiérrez
AU - Martín Daniel Trejo-Valdez
AU - Aída Verónica Rodríguez-Tovar
AU - Christopher René Torres-SanMiguel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/ma19194161
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42882660
AB - Polyether ether ketones (PEEK) and polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) are widely used biomaterials; however, their susceptibility to microbial colonization remains a limitation in clinical applications. This study comparatively evaluated biofilm formation by Candida albicans and Nakaseomyces glabratus on PEEK and PDMS and characterized the effect of TiO₂/ZrO₂-based coatings applied to PEEK. Biofilm development was analyzed during adhesion, maturation, and dispersion using biomass quantification, metabolic activity assays, and scanning electron microscopy. Surface modifications were also evaluated. Both species formed a biofilm on the biomaterials, with a significantly higher biomass on the control, followed by PEEK and PDMS. TiO₂/ZrO₂-based coating affected biofilm maturation, with coating B as the one producing the greatest reduction in biofilm development. These findings suggest that surface modifications, such as hydrophobicity, using TiO₂/ZrO₂ coatings may influence fungal biofilm reduction and improve the antimicrobial performance of biomedical materials.
SN - 1996-1944
ER -