Inflammatory potential of monospecies biofilm matrix components

Aim To assess the inflammatory potential of biofilm matrix constituents of Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa monospecies biofilms on macrophages. Methodology In vitro biofilms of E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa were grown (7 days) in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The biofilm matrix components: exopolysaccharides (EPS) and extracellular DNA (eDNA) were extracted and quantified. The inflammatory potential of EPS and eDNA was assessed on macrophage cell lines (RAW 267.4) using nitric oxide (NO), and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for tumour necrosis factor (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) expressions. LPS from P. aeruginosa and planktonic bacteria were positive controls. One‐way analysis of variance and the Tukey post hoc test were used for statistical analysis. Results Extracted EPS from both biofilm strains was associated with higher levels than eDNA in both growth conditions (P