Bioinspired Polymeric Coating with Self‐Adhesion, Lubrication, and Drug Release for Synergistic Bacteriostatic and Bactericidal Performance

Abstract A combination of surface lubrication and antibacterial performance is highly imperative for biomedical implants in clinic. In this study, motivated by mussel‐inspired adhesion, articular cartilage superlubrication, and drug‐loading capacity of cyclodextrins, a new copolymer of p(DMA‐MPC‐CD) (namely PDMC) with self‐adhesion, lubrication, and drug loading & release properties is developed for fabricating a versatile platform to construct a synergistic bacteriostatic/bactericidal surface. Specifically, the biomimetic coating is prepared via polydopamine mediated layer‐by‐layer (LBL) self‐assembly method on the surface of titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V), and characterized by quartz crystal microbalance, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and surface wettability to confirm the modification process. The biocompatibility evaluation using L929 cells shows that the coating, even with pre‐loaded bactericide, presents satisfied biocompatibility in vitro. Additionally, the enhanced lubrication and bacterial resistance properties of copolymer‐coated Ti6Al4V (Ti6Al4V@PDMC) are attributed to the tenacious hydration shell that is formed surrounding the zwitterionic phosphorylcholine charges. Furthermore, the bactericidal function of the biomimetic coating is successfully achieved by releasing the pre‐loaded bactericide in a sustained manner, which effectively kills the adhered bacteria on the surface. In summary, the bioinspired surface functionalization strategy developed here may act as a universal and promising method for achieving enhanced lubrication and synergistic bacteriostatic/bactericidal properties in biomedical implants.