journal article·2026-04Open access

Immune and Stem Cell‐Mediated Bactericidal Amplification and Bone Remodeling for Infection Clearance and Osteointegration

Zhenyu Li, Siming Zhang, Jiale Dong, Ning Li, Mo Chen, Kunzheng Wang, Bin Li, Guoqing Pan, Jiaxiang Bai, Chen Zhu

Advanced Materials· Volume 38· Issue 24

Abstract

ABSTRACT Implant‐related infections reduce mesenchymal stem cell accumulation near implant sites while suppressing the viability and osteogenic capacity of these stem cells. Here, we show that pH‐responsive biomaterial interfaces exploit infection‐induced acidification to coordinate antimicrobial action with stem and immune cell functional reprogramming. The system can release bactericidal peptides for direct bacterial elimination, whereas indirect bactericidal enhancement occurs in the presence of magnesium ions and cell‐targeting peptides, which enable a positive modulation of immune responses and recruitment of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, respectively. This feature results in robust osteogenic differentiation at the implant interfaces, achieving a 280% increase in the interfacial bone volume in rat infection models. Through transcriptomic analysis, we also show that Wnt‐activated stem cells and alternatively activated macrophages jointly upregulate antimicrobial effector programs along with osteogenic genes, contributing to the observed >4‐log bacterial reduction through combined material‐ and cell‐mediated suppression. The coordinated infection clearance and interface regeneration demonstrate that infection‐responsive biomaterials can transform endogenous cells to bifunctional therapeutic agents, defining a strategy that addresses infection and regeneration as integrated biological processes.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Bone Tissue Engineering Materials · Orthopedic Infections and Treatments · Bone Metabolism and Diseases

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine University of Science and Technology of China Hefei Anhui P. R. China

Tianjin Hospital Tianjin University Tianjin P. R. China

Department of Orthopedics Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an P. R. China

Medical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University Suzhou Jiangsu P. R. China

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Jiangsu University Zhenjiang Jiangsu P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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