Zwitterions are well known for their anti-biofouling properties. Past investigations of zwitterionic materials for biomedical uses have been centered on exploiting their ability to inhibit non-specific adsorption of proteins. Here, we report that zwitterionic motifs, when presented in three dimensions (e.g. in crosslinked hydrogels), could effectively sequester osteogenic bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). The ionic interactions between rhBMP-2 and the 3-D zwitterionic network enabled dynamic sequestering and sustained release of the protein with preserved bioactivity. We further demonstrated that the zwitterionic hydrogel confers high-efficiency in vivo local delivery of rhBMP-2. It can template the functional healing of critical-size femoral segmental defects in rats with rhBMP-2 at a loading dose substantially lower than those required for current natural or synthetic polymeric carriers. These findings reveal a novel function of zwitterionic materials beyond their commonly perceived anti-biofouling property, and may establish 3-D zwitterionic matrices as novel high-efficiency vehicles for protein/ionic drug therapeutic delivery.
CITATION STYLE
Liu, P., Skelly, J. D., & Song, J. (2014). Three-dimensionally presented anti-fouling zwitterionic motifs sequester and enable high-efficiency delivery of therapeutic proteins. Acta Biomaterialia, 10(10), 4296–4303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2014.06.024
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