Proteomic signature of the acquired salivary pellicle on zirconia and its role in modulating oral biofilms formation.

Authors

Samuel Santana Malheiros, Elizabeth Soares Fernandes, Beatriz Ribeiro Ribas, Ana Merlim, Ahmed Eldib, Valentim A R Barão, Walter Luis Siqueira, Eduardo Buozi Moffa

Published in

Odontology. Jun 15, 2026. Epub Jun 15, 2026.

Abstract

Although zirconia is widely used, the proteomic composition of its salivary pellicle and its impact on biofilm formation remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the protein composition of the salivary pellicle and evaluate its impact on microbial adhesion and biofilm formation. Surface roughness and wettability of zirconia and hydroxyapatite (HA) discs were assessed. Discs were incubated with pooled parotid saliva collected from 10 healthy adults using a Carlson-Crittenden device. Adsorbed proteins were eluted, quantified, digested, and identified via Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Monospecies biofilms of Candida albicans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Porphyromonas gingivalis were grown on coated and uncoated zirconia discs and analyzed at 90 min (adhesion), 24, 48, and 72 h (early and maturation phases). Zirconia exhibited significantly lower surface roughness and higher contact angle than HA (p < 0.05). Both materials adsorbed the same set of 114 proteins, with quantitative differences in abundance and accumulation of antimicrobial proteins, such as lactoferrin, histatins, and lactoperoxidase, on zirconia. Biofilm assays showed significantly reduced viability of C. albicans at 48 and 72 h and A. actinomycetemcomitans at 24 and 48 h on saliva-coated zirconia (p < 0.05), compared to uncoated controls. No significant differences were observed for P. gingivalis. The enrichment of antimicrobial proteins in the salivary pellicle of zirconia surfaces may have contributed to the time- and species-dependent modulation of biofilm formation. Therefore, zirconia's appears to adsorb higher levels of protective salivary proteins compared to HA and modulate microbial viability reinforces its relevance as an oral rehabilitative biomaterial.

PMID:
42295540
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jun 2026.

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