Polyetheretherketone with Citrate Potentiated Influx of Copper Boosts Osteogenesis, Angiogenesis, and Bacteria-Triggered Antibacterial Abilities

Because of the increasing use of biomedical implants, implants associated infections are becoming more prevalent and cause increased morbidity and significant higher healthcare cost. As it is a race for the surface between cells and microbes, achieving a rapid bone regeneration and osseointegration, especially when confronted with implants associated infections, is the primary goal. Herein, we develop a promising solution using porous polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants incorporated with copper-citrate nanoclusters via bioinspired polydopamine, it can deliver a high dose of bactericides only when and where bacteria appear to eradicate bacteria and release a small amount of copper/citrate under physiological environment to promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. The synergistic effect between copper and citrate, which is that citrate can facilitate a 2-fold influx of copper into cells, not only heightened the bacteria-killing ability but also encouraged the osteogenesis and angiogenesis performances of implants. This present work provides an effective method to control infections while promoting osseointegration simultaneously, which will show tremendous clinical application and can be a solution to current challenges facing orthopedics.