Facile and Versatile Surface Functional Polyetheretherketone with Enhanced Bacteriostasis and Osseointegrative Capability for Implant Application

Abstract

Implant-associated infections and inadequate osseointegration are two challenges of implant materials in orthopedics. In this study, a lithium-ion-loaded (Li+)/musselinspired antimicrobial peptide (AMP) designed to improve the osseointegration and inhibit bacterial infections effectively is prepared on a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) biomaterial surface through the combination of hydrothermal treatment and musselinspired chemistry. The results illustrate that the multifunctional PEEK material demonstrated a great inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, which was attributed to irreversible bacterial membrane damage. In addition, the multifunctional PEEK can simultaneously upregulate the expression of osteogenesis-associated genes/proteins via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Furthermore, an in vivo assay of an infection model revealed that the multifunctional PEEK implants killed bacteria with an efficiency of 95.03%. More importantly, the multifunctional PEEK implants accelerated the implant−bone interface osseointegration compared with pure PEEK implants in the noninfection model. Overall, this work provides a promising strategy for improving orthopedic implant materials with ideal osseointegration and infection prevention simultaneously, which may have broad application clinical prospects.

Biofunctionalization of 3D Printed Porous Tantalum Using a Vancomycin–Carboxymethyl Chitosan Composite Coating to Improve Osteogenesis and Antibiofilm Properties

“…In order to improve the antibacterial ability of porous tantalum, Cui et al developed the Ta–Cu alloy, and Fialho et al coated the surface of scaffolds with zinc oxide by magnetron sputtering . However, the improvement of antibacterial ability of scaffolds through sustained release of metal ions requires a balance between antibacterial performance and biocompatibility, , and the potential biological toxicity of metal ions is a key factor hindering the clinical transformation of modified material. , Our former research mixed antibiotics into gellan gum and covered pTa scaffolds with hydrogel physically, so as to achieve antibacterial performance of porous tantalum-loaded antibiotics. However, the physical bonding of hydrogel on the surface of scaffold seriously affected the original pore structure of pTa, which was not conducive to the early growth of bone tissue .…”

Approaches to Biofunctionalize Polyetheretherketone for Antibacterial: A Review

“…The improvement of antibacterial activity was obtained not only by the synergy between different metal ions but also by the mixed modification of metal ions and antibacterial compounds. Li + could enhance cell attachment, proliferation, differentiation, and implant−bone interface osseointegration of the antibacterial AMP coating on SPEEK (Li N. et al, 2021).…”

Antimicrobial peptides for bone tissue engineering: Diversity, effects and applications

“…In addition to modification using the specific binding sequences mentioned above, non-specific binding sequences, such as DOPA sequences, have also been applied for peptide pretreatment. Li et al chimerized DOPA sequences with AMP so that AMP could be anchored to the PEEK bone scaffold ( Li et al, 2021 ). They constructed a rabbit infectious osteomyelitis model and implanted AMP-loaded PEEK scaffolds into rabbit femurs.…”