Study of 3D Printed MXene-Berberine-Integrated Scaffold for Photo-Activated Antibacterial Property and Bone Regeneration

The repair of mandibular defects remained a challenging problem in the clinic, and the associated infection often hinders the treatment, leading to failure in bone regeneration. Herein, a multifunctional platform is designed against the shortages of existing therapies for infected bone deficiency. 2D Ti3C2 MXene and berberine (BBR) are effectively loaded into 3D printing biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) scaffolds. The composite scaffolds take the feature of the excellent photothermal capacity of Ti3C2 for antibacterial and mediating the NIR-responsive BBR release under laser stimuli. Meanwhile, the sustained release of BBR enhances the antibacterial effect and further accelerates the bone healing process. Importantly, the integration of Ti3C2 improves the mechanical properties of 3D scaffolds, beneficial for new bone formation. The remarkable biomedical performances in vitro and in vivo present the outstanding antibacterial and osteogenic properties of Ti3C2-BBR functionalized BCP scaffolds, which the synergetic therapy makes it highly promising for repairing infected bone defects, as well as provides insight into the broader applications of 2D nanosheets in biomedicine.