Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Author Spotlight: Insights into the Use of Apple-Derived Cellulose Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering
Published on: February 23, 2024
Engineering Self-Assembled PEEK Scaffolds with Marine-Derived Exosomes and Bacteria-Targeting Aptamers for Enhanced
Chen Zhang1,2, Jinchao You3, Runyi Lin4
1School of Materials and Chemistry Engineering, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
None:
Repairing bone defects with implants is an important topic in the field of regenerative medicine, but bacterial infection presents a significant barrier in clinical practice. Therefore, bone implants with antibacterial functionality are currently in high demand. Fresh seaweed-derived exosomes (EXOs) exhibited promising antibacterial activity against bacteria, indicating their potential as natural antimicrobial agents. Moreover, equipping the exosomal lipid bilayer with bacteria-targeting aptamers (Apt), termed EXOs-Apt, enabled precise bacterial killing, thereby promoting more effective antibacterial functions. In our design, porous polyetheretherketone (PEEK) scaffolds were 3D-printed using the melt deposition manufacturing process. Subsequently, the scaffold surfaces were modified via dopamine self-polymerization, resulting in the formation of a polydopamine (PDA) coating. Then, EXOs-Apt was applied to functionalize PEEK scaffolds with antibacterial activity. Given that EXOs display bactericidal effects while Apt facilitates bacterial capture, we engineered a surface coating platform that incorporates both components to produce a multifunctional scaffold with synergistic antibacterial activity. The results showed that modifying EXOs-Apt on PEEK scaffolds significantly improved their antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use EXOs-Apt as antibacterial coatings modified on PEEK scaffolds. This study provides new strategies and ideas for the development of antibacterial PEEK orthopedic implants with promising clinical value for infection-resistant repair of bone defects.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Derivatives of the Trigonometric Functions
Derivatives of Logarithmic Functions
Derivatives of Simple Functions
Second Derivatives of Implicit Functions
Derivatives of Inverse Trigonometric Functions
Inverse Hyperbolic Functions and Their Derivatives

