Poly(dopamine)-assisted Bioactive Coating on the Surface of Porous Poly (Ether Ether Ketone) to Promote Osteogenic Differentiation of rBMSC

A facile modification strategy is developed to promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (rBMSCs) through deposition of a bioactive calcium silicate (CS) coating on the porous surface of poly (ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) with the assistance of poly(dopamine) (PDA). The porous structures are etched on the surface of PEEK after sulfonation treatment. A poly(dopamine) layer is coated on the porous surface of the sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK), which provides anchoring groups for the subsequent deposition of the CS layer. Results show that the CS coating on the porous surface of SPEEK significantly improve the hydrophilicity and biomineralization formation of hydroxyapatite. Compared with PEEK, SPEEK-PDA-CS displays higher bioactivity to promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs, including the increase of ALP activity and formation of calcium nodules, the expression of osteogenic differentiation-related genes. These results are beneficial to extending clinical applications of PEEK-based implants for bone tissue repair and orthopedic surgery.