ArticleFrontiers in medicine2026
Dual-functional sulfonated PEEK implants via graphene oxide-mediated BMP-2 gene delivery: enhanced osteogenic and antibacterial performance
Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- High aspect ratio graphene oxide: a highly efficient plasmid DNA deliverer for plant seed.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a promising orthopedic implant material due to its bone-mimetic mechanical properties; however, its bioinert surface and susceptibility to bacterial colonization limit its clinical efficacy. Strategies to enhance osteointegration while providing antibacterial functionality are urgently needed. Methods: Graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and complexed with a plasmid encoding bone morphogenetic protein-2 (pBMP-2) to form a GO-PEG/pBMP-2 complex. This complex was coated onto sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK) via freeze-drying, yielding SPEEK-(GO-PEG/pBMP-2) composites. The materials were systematically compared with pristine PEEK, SPEEK, and SPEEK-GO-PEG controls. Surface chemistry, morphology, hydrophilicity, gene loading efficiency, and coating uniformity were characterized. In vitro assessments included cell adhesion, proliferation, viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralized matrix deposition, osteogenic gene expression, and antibacterial activity against Results: Successful PEGylation of GO and efficient pBMP-2 loading were confirmed, with uniform coating and significantly improved hydrophilicity on SPEEK-(GO-PEG/pBMP-2). This composite markedly enhanced osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and viability, along with elevated ALP activity, increased mineralized nodule formation, and upregulated expression of key osteogenic genes (e.g., Runx2, OPN, OCN). Both GO-containing coatings-SPEEK-GO-PEG and SPEEK-(GO-PEG/pBMP-2)-exhibited strong antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with no significant difference attributable to BMP-2 loading. Conclusion: The SPEEK-(GO-PEG/pBMP-2) platform simultaneously promotes osteogenesis through localized BMP-2 gene delivery and provides robust antibacterial protection via GO. This dual-functional design addresses two major limitations of PEEK implants, offering a promising strategy for next-generation orthopedic biomaterials.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.