Currently, postoperative infection is a significant challenge
in
bone and dental surgical procedures, demanding the exploration of
innovative approaches due to the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. This study aims to develop a strategy for controlled and
smart antibiotic release while accelerating osteogenesis to expedite
bone healing. In this regard, temperature-responsive doxycycline (DOX)
imprinted bioglass microspheres (BGMs) were synthesized. Following
the formation of chitosan-modified BGMs, poly N-isopropylacrylamide
(pNIPAm) was used for surface imprinting of DOX. The temperature-responsive
molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) exhibited pH and temperature
dual-responsive adsorption and controlled-release properties for DOX.
The temperature-responsive MIP was optimized by investigating the
molar ratio of N,N′-methylene
bis(acrylamide) (MBA, the cross-linker) to NIPAm. Our results demonstrated
that the MIPs showed superior adsorption capacity (96.85 mg/g at 35
°C, pH = 7) than nonimprinted polymers (NIPs) and manifested
a favorable selectivity toward DOX. The adsorption behavior of DOX
on the MIPs fit well with the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order
kinetic model. Drug release studies demonstrated a controlled release
of DOX due to imprinted cavities, which were fitted with the Korsmeyer–Peppas
kinetic model. DOX-imprinted BGMs also revealed comparable antibacterial
effects against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to the DOX (control).
In addition, MIPs promoted viability and osteogenic differentiation
of MG63 osteoblast-like cells. Overall, the findings demonstrate the
significant potential of DOX-imprinted BGMs for use in bone defects.
Nonetheless, further in vitro investigations and subsequent in vivo
experiments are warranted to advance this research.