Pathogenic microorganisms can adhere to the surfaces of water conducting systems, finally resulting in biofilm structures. Considering the importance of the adhesion capability of cells and the biofilm formation in these surfaces, their inhibition by using naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds can be a potential alternative or complement to water chlorination. This work aimed to study the antiadhesive capability of vanillin-functionalized stainless-steel surfaces against bacteria present in low-pressure water distribution network. Stainless-steel surfaces were pretreated (by sanding or polishing) and activated, allowing the covalent anchoring of vanillin to the stainless-steel. Characterization of functionalized surfaces, by macroscopic, microscopic, and elemental analysis confirmed the efficiency of the vanillin anchoring protocol. Subsequently, in vitro antiadhesive capability assays were performed with Staphylococcus epidermidis as a model microorganism to assess the antiadhesiveness capacity of the functionalized surfaces. This assay allowed the confirmation of the capacity of vanillin-functionalized surfaces to prevent the adhesion of S. epidermidis to the stainless-steel surfaces. Finally, grates were functionalized and placed in low-pressure water conduction pipes in the city of Valencia, Spain. After placement, samples of the biofilm adhered to the grates were taken at certain times and analyzed through metagenomic analysis. The results showed statistically significant differences in both the amount and type of bacterial strains adhered to vanillin-functionalized and non-functionalized grates. These findings demonstrated for the first time the potential application of vanillin-functionalized stainless-steel surfaces in water conduction systems to avoid the adhesive ability of bacteria, preventing their contamination and/or biofilm formation.

中文翻译：

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使用香草醛功能化格栅防止水传导系统中的细菌粘附


病原微生物可以粘附在导水系统的表面，最终形成生物膜结构。考虑到细胞粘附能力和这些表面生物膜形成的重要性，使用天然存在的抗菌化合物对其进行抑制可能是水氯化的潜在替代或补充。这项工作旨在研究香草醛功能化不锈钢表面对低压配水管网中存在的细菌的抗粘附能力。不锈钢表面经过预处理（通过打磨或抛光）并活化，使香草醛共价锚定到不锈钢上。通过宏观、微观和元素分析对功能化表面进行表征，证实了香草醛锚定方案的效率。随后，以表皮葡萄球菌作为模型微生物进行体外抗粘附能力测定，以评估功能化表面的抗粘附能力。该测定可以确认香草醛功能化表面防止表皮葡萄球菌粘附到不锈钢表面的能力。最后，格栅被功能化并放置在西班牙巴伦西亚市的低压导水管中。放置后，在特定时间采集粘附在格栅上的生物膜样本，并通过宏基因组分析进行分析。结果显示，香草醛功能化和非功能化格栅上粘附的细菌菌株的数量和类型存在统计学上的显着差异。 这些发现首次证明了香草醛功能化不锈钢表面在水传导系统中的潜在应用，以避免细菌的粘附能力，防止细菌污染和/或生物膜形成。