Bionic Peek With Drug-Loaded Hydrogel For Cartilage Repair

Joint replacement surgery uses a single-structure scaffold with hard-to-hard connection, which has the disadvantages of no stress buffering, wear of the normal joint on the opposite side, and limited functional recovery. The existing hydrogel-modified PEEK scaffold also has the disadvantages of insufficient bonding and interface stratification. Inspired by the anatomical structure of natural cartilage, this study prepared a double-layer polyetheretherketone (PEEK) scaffold by 3D printing, and verified the successful modification and performance characterization of the material by SEM, AFM, FITR, XPS and XRD, and further proved its good biological function by CCK-8, live-dead staining, drug sustained release experiment, rabbit knee joint implantation experiment and three-dimensional finite element simulation. The solid lower layer of the bionic double-layer PEEK scaffold has excellent tribological properties, mechanical properties and biocompatibility, and provides stable mechanical support for the upper layer after combining with the surrounding bone tissue; on the other hand, the upper PEEK is set with gradient pores, which are perfused with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel loaded with diclofenac sodium (DFN), which successfully achieves the buffering, lubrication and local anti-inflammatory functions of natural cartilage; more importantly, the PEEK scaffold achieves structural integrated support for the upper gel, effectively solving the problem of weak combination and interface stratification. This new bionic joint implant has similar anatomical structure, mechanical properties and physiological functions to natural cartilage, expands the application potential of PEEK scaffolds in joint replacement surgery, and provides a new choice.