Black Phosphorus and E7-Functionalized Sulfonated Polyetheretherketone with Effective Osteogenicity and Antibacterial Activity

Xiao Wang; Shuning Zhang; Ai Zhu; Lingyan Cao; Long Xu; Junjie Wang; Fei Zheng; Xiangkai Zhang; Hongyan Chen; Xinquan Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.eng.2024.07.019

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Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3) : 147-161. DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2024.07.019

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Article

Black Phosphorus and E7-Functionalized Sulfonated Polyetheretherketone with Effective Osteogenicity and Antibacterial Activity

Xiao Wang^a^,^b^,^# ,
Shuning Zhang^a^,^b^,^# ,
Ai Zhu^b ,
Lingyan Cao^a^,^b ,
Long Xu^c ,
Junjie Wang^b ,
Fei Zheng^a^,^b ,
Xiangkai Zhang^b ,
Hongyan Chen^a^,^b^,^* ,
Xinquan Jiang^a^,^b^,^*

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Abstract

Given its excellent biological properties and the matching of its elastic modulus with that of human bone tissue, medical polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is considered a desirable candidate for bone-implant materials. However, its poor osseointegrative and antibacterial properties greatly limit its clinical application. To address these concerns, a functional PEEK implant is needed. Herein, a novel photo-responsive multifunctional PEEK-based implant material (sPEEK/BP/E7) with both effective osteogenesis and good disinfection properties was constructed via the self-assembly of black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets, mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA), and bioactive short peptide E7 on sulfonated PEEK (sPEEK). The versatile micro-/nano-structured PEEK surface provides superior hydrophilicity, a favorable osteogenic microenvironment, and excellent photothermal effects under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The in vitro results showed that sPEEK/BP/E7 displays enhanced cytocompatibility and osteogenicity in terms of cell adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, matrix mineralization, and osteogenesis-related gene expression, superior to those of the sPEEK and sPEEK/BP samples. In addition to osteogenesis, the multifunctional coating exhibited strong antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Furthermore, it was confirmed in a rat femoral infection model that sPEEK/BP/E7 effectively resisted infection caused by S. aureus under NIR light irradiation and promoted osseointegration in vivo. Thus, this work presents a facile strategy to realize improvement of the “functional integration” of new polymer bone–implant materials and provide new ideas for their clinical application.

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Keywords

Polyetheretherketone / Black phosphorus nanosheets / E7 peptides / Stem cell recruitment / Osteogenesis / Antibacterial

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Xiao Wang, Shuning Zhang, Ai Zhu, Lingyan Cao, Long Xu, Junjie Wang, Fei Zheng, Xiangkai Zhang, Hongyan Chen, Xinquan Jiang. Black Phosphorus and E7-Functionalized Sulfonated Polyetheretherketone with Effective Osteogenicity and Antibacterial Activity. Engineering, 2025, 46(3): 147‒161 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2024.07.019

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