Modification of Poly(propylene fumarate)-Bioglass Composites with Peptide Conjugates to Enhance Bioactivity

Poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) has been highlighted as one of the most promising materials for bone regeneration. Despite the promising advantages of using polymer scaffolds for biomedical applications, their inherent lack of bioactivity has limited their clinical application. In this study, PPF was successfully functionalized with Bioglass and a novel catechol-bearing peptide bioconjugate containing bioactive short peptide sequences of basic fibroblast growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein 2, and osteogenic growth peptide. The binding affinity was assessed to be around 110 nmol/cm² with the Bioglass content at 10 wt %. Fluorescence imaging studies show that the catechol-bearing modular peptide binds preferentially to the Bioglass. A 4 week in vitro cell study using human mesenchymal stem cells showed that cell adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation at both gene and protein levels were all improved by the introduction of peptides, demonstrating the potential approach of dually functionalized polymers for bone regeneration.