Drug-loaded/grafted peptide-modified porous PEEK to promote bone tissue repair and eliminate bacteria

Abstract

Bone restoration and related infection in bone defect repair remain thorny problems in clinical practice. Herein, a drug-loaded (chlorogenic acid, CGA)/grafted peptide (BFP) hydrogel system supported on a sulfonated polyetheretherketone (SPEEK) surface is constructed to address the problem of large-scale defects and related infections in clinical bone implantation. Briefly, the encapsulated chlorogenic acid is released during hydrogel degradation and can inhibit the growth of bacteria and provide a bacteria-free environment for new bone formation. In vitro experiments and cell adhesion/proliferation evaluation reveal that the chlorogenic acid-sodium alginate-peptide bridging system shows better bioaffinity than the control groups due to the BFP peptide on the surface of the hydrogel. In addition, bacterial experiments suggest that the released chlorogenic acid has excellent antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Therefore, the hydrogel bridging system has a prospective application in clinical applications for bone repair.

Keywords: Antibacterial; Chlorogenic acid; Hydrogel; Osteogenic; Polyetheretherketone.