Endowing Polyetheretherketone Implants with Osseointegration Properties: In Situ Construction of Patterned Nanorod Arrays

Abstract

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is widely used in orthopedic and craniomaxillofacial surgeries as it exhibits excellent biocompatibility, mechanical property, and chemical stability. However, its clinical application is limited by the biological inertness of PEEK. Numerous efforts have been made to improve the bioactivity of this polymer over the years. However, modification methods that can not only promote osteogenesis but also maintain excellent properties are still limited. Hence, a facile hot die formation technique is developed for establishing patterned nanorod arrays on the PEEK surface in situ. This method can maintain the excellent properties of PEEK and can be used in implantation as it can facilitate osteogenic activity in the absence of any organic/inorganic differentiation‐inducing factors. PEEK with 200‐nm patterned nanorod arrays on the surface exhibits excellent osteogenic properties. This result is obtained by assessing the osteogenic differentiation properties of rat adipose‐derived stem cells at the gene and protein levels in vitro. In vivo experimental results reveal that the surface‐modified cylindrical PEEK 200 implants present with excellent osseointegration properties. Moreover, they can tightly bind with the surrounding bone tissue. A practical method for manufacturing single‐component PEEK implants with excellent osseointegration properties is reported, and the materials can be possibly used as orthopedic implants.

Electrochemical Insertion of Zinc Ions into Self‐Organized Titanium Dioxide Nanotube Arrays to Achieve Strong Osseointegration with Titanium Implants

“…According to our previous report, a hydrophilic surface with low surface energy may play a significant role in cell spreading and differentiation. [ 23 ] Besides, the surface protein adsorption properties were evaluated with the BSA protein. Figure S5 (Supporting Information) shows that the BSA adsorption of TCP, TNA, and TNA‐Zn is 7.23, 23.64, and 64.84 µg, respectively.…”

“…It has been reported that the surface topography structure can influence the spreading of MSCs, [23,30] and so we stained the cytoskeletal F-actin of the cells with rhodamine phalloidin to detect the morphologies of the MSCs on different substrates after 24 h of culture. As shown in Figure 3f, the cells cultured on the TCPs exhibited a typical spindle-like morphology; however, those seeded on the TNA (Figure 3g) and TNA-Zn (Figure 3h) materials exhibited polygonal morphologies and were spread over a large area.…”

In vitro physicochemical and biological properties of titanium alloy, zirconia, polyetheretherketone, and carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone

“…While the osteogenic ability of PEEK and CFR-PEEK was significantly lower than that of Ti and Zr, many effective modifications were introduced to resolve this issue. For example, Zhang et al (2022) developed a rough PEEK surface with a 200 nm patterned nanorod using a thermoforming technique, finding that this modification enhanced ALP activity and osteogenic gene expression in adipose stem cells and promoted the degree of peri-implant Frontiers in Materials frontiersin.org neovascularization and osseointegration in rat femoral defect model. In addition, Guo et al (2022) used the arc ion plating technique to apply a TiCu/TiCuN coating to CFR-PEEK, which showed excellent osteogenic activity in vitro and in vivo, as copper (Cu) could promote bone regeneration and antibacterial activity.…”

Strategies to improve bioactive and antibacterial properties of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) for use as orthopedic implants

“…established patterned nanorod arrays on PEEK surfaces. The modified nanosurface PEEK promoted the osteogenic differentiation of rat adipose stem cells and the osseointegration of rat femurs [ 129 ]. Gao et al.…”

“… [ 132 ] Nano silicon nitride In vitro : increased cytocompatibility and differentiation; improved surface roughness, hydrophilicity, and protein absorption; In vivo : stimulated bone regeneration and integration in a rat model of skull defects. [ 133 ] Submicron nanostructures surface (No coatings or Fillers) In vitro: adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells were enhanced [ 136 ] Patterned nanorod arrays surface (No coatings or Fillers) In vitro : promoted the osteogenic differentiation of rat adipose stem cells In vivo : promoted the osseointegration of rat femurs [ 129 ] Phosphate modification Vinyl phosphonic acid. In vitro : increased cytocompatibility and differentiation; increased hydrophilicity; In vivo : improved bone-implant contact.…”