Enhancing antibacterial capability and osseointegration of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants by dual-functional surface modification

The overall aim of the current study is to develop a dual-functional PEEK implant to simultaneously fight off bacterial contamination and promote osseointegration by sustained release of moxifloxacin hydrochloride (MOX) and osteogenic growth peptide (OGP) from mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA)-coated porous sulfonated PEEK (SPK) surface. Our study revealed that the MOX/OGP PDA-modified SPK (SPD-MOX/OGP) surface exhibited a durable and excellent antibacterial effect against planktonic/adherent Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in vitro . A remarkable enhancement in specific cell adhesion, proliferation and osteogenicity were observed on the SPD-MOX/OGP substrate due to the presence of OGP and PDA molecules compared to all other groups. More significantly, using the infected and non-infected rat tibia models confirmed the in vivo antimicrobial and osteogenesis abilities of SPD-MOX/OGP. Therefore, we are confident that such dual-functional PEEK surface with both antibacterial and osseointegrative capacities in this study would give a positive answer to periprosthetic joint infection-related issues.