2022 Polypeptide coatings on biominerals with superior antimicrobial and antifouling properties inspired by human salivary proteins

Authors:
XiaoYang^aclm#, FengLou^b#, WeihaoYuan^m#, WanyinSong^a, YiyuanXue^b, DuanWang^ad, YuchenGuo^b, XuPeng^ae, XinyuanXu^a, ChuangLiu^f, RuiboZhao^g, XiaoYang^h, XianlongWangⁱ, ChunmeiDing^a, LimingBian^jk, JianshuLi^ab

Journal:
Applied Materials Today，Volume 27, June 2022, 101446; DOI.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2022.101446

Institute:

^aCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P.R.China
^bState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P.R.China
^cHong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Caradiovasular Health Engineering (COCHE), Shatin, Hong Kong 999077, P.R.China
^dDepartment of Joint Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P.R.China
^eExperimental Animal Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P.R.China.
^fCollege of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, P.R.China
^gInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
^hNational Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, P.R.China
ⁱDepartment of Bioinformatics, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, P.R.China
^jSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 511442, P.R.China
^kNational Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P.R.China
^lDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P.R.China
^mDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong 999077, P.R.China

Abstract:

Inhibiting the growth of bacteria on biomedical implants is of great clinical significance due to the associated life-threatening infections. Peptide sequence DDDEEK (SAP) and NFKRKYGHHRKA (P1) are inspired from the salivary proteins statherin and histatin, respectively. SAP enables stable immobilization on the biomineral surface, and P1 has a strong antimicrobial effect against clinically pathogenic bacteria. Herein, we report the surface-immobilized multifunctional coating based on a hybrid peptide NFKRKYGHHRKAKEEDDD (P1-SAP). This coating can form on hydroxyapatite (HA)/tricalcium phosphate (TCP) surfaces by a simple dip-coating or spraying method and remain on the surface for at least 1 month. The P1-SAP coating exhibits 3-fold effective antimicrobial properties against bacteria/biofilm and shows 2-fold antifouling functions than the bare group due to the synergistic effect of superhydrophilic surface, cationic peptides and surface hydrophobic groups. Additionally, the combination of SAP with P1 can reduce the cytotoxicity of P1 to MG63 cells because the negative charges of SAP can effectively neutralize the positive charges of P1. Moreover, in vivo studies in rats show a significant decrease in infection associated with the P1-SAP-coated HA implants, indicating the efficacy of this coating against subcutaneous infections. Our findings provide valuable guidance to the design and evaluation of coatings with antimicrobial and antifouling properties for implant surfaces.