Antibacterial effects of protruding and recessed shark skin micropatterned surfaces of polyacrylate plate with a shallow groove.

Antibacterial effects in terms of biofilm formation and swarming motility were studied using polyacrylate plates having protruding or recessed shark skin micropatterned surfaces with a shallow groove (2 μm pattern width and spacing, 0.4 μm pattern height). It was found that biofilm formation and swarming motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were strongly inhibited by the shark skin pattern plates with a shallow (0.4 μm) pattern height. Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus was also strongly inhibited. Live bacteria were located on the pattern rather than in the spacing. When the shape of pattern was a linear ridge instead of shark skin, the antibacterial effects were weaker than seen with the shark skin pattern. The results indicate that the pattern of shark skin is important for decreasing bacterial infection even with a shallow feature height.