Interface Wettability Transition-Driven Drug Release and Dual-Phase Functionalization in Implant Abutment

Dental implant abutments face dual clinical challenges of early-stage biological contamination and late-stage inflammatory microenvironments. To address the issues, this study developed a smart drug-release coating based on a superhydrophobic-wettable transition mechanism. The coating on the abutment surface was constructed by hydrophobic micelles self-assembling on mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with berberine. In the early stage, the superhydrophobic surface can effectively resist the adhesion of proteins and bacteria. With protein deposition, this process induced a transition of the superhydrophobic surface to a hydrophilic state, leading to a sigmoidal drug release profile that passively triggered sustained microenvironment regulation in the later stage. In vivo experiments demonstrated that this coating not only had strong immediate antibacterial efficacy (22.5-fold enhancement) but also significantly reduced inflammation and promoted soft tissue closure. This work provides a sequential functionalization strategy of "early-antifouling-enabled late active regulation" for abutments, offering a potential solution to prevent peri‑implant inflammation and soft tissue dehiscence.