In Vitro Biocompability/Osteogenesis and In Vivo Bone Formation Evalution of Peptide-Decorated Apatite Nanocomposites Assisted via Polydopamine

Enhancing the biocompatibility and osteogenic activity of nano-apatite for applications in bone graft substitutes and bone tissue engineering have been the current challenge in regeneration of lost bone. Inspired by mussels, here we have developed facile biomimetic approaches for preparation of two types of peptide-conjugated apatite nanocompsoties assisted by polydopamine (pDA). We exploited polydopamine chemistry for the modification of nano-apatite crystals: polydopamine coated apatite (HA-c-pDA) and polydopamine template-mediated apatite (HA-t-pDA), on which bone forming peptide was subsequently immobilized under weakly basic conditions to obtain peptide-conjugated apatite nanocomposites (HA-c-pep and HA-t-pep, respectively). TEM images revealed that HA-c-pDA displayed typically rod-like morphology, while HA-t-pDA was sponge-like structure where pDA sheets were decorated by needle-like apatite crystals with low degree of crystallinity. In the cell culture experiments, HA-t-pep nanocomposite exhibited higher cell proliferation, spreading, and alkaline phosphatase activity as well as calcium nodule-formation, compared with pristine nano-HA and HA-c-pep nanocomposite. We then implanted the peptide-decorated apatite into rabbit calvarial defects and analyzed bone formation after 2 months. The data revealed that HA-t-pep group exhibited remarkably enhanced bioactivity and bone formation in vivo. Based on these results, our biomimetic approach could be a promising tool to develop peptide-conjugated apatites for bone regeneration. Meanwhile, the excellent biocompatibility and high osteogenesis of the peptide-conjugated apatite nanocomposite might confer its great potentials in bone repair, bone augmentation, as well as coating of biomedical implants.