3D-printed CuFe2O4-MXene/PLLA antibacterial tracheal scaffold against implantation-associated infection

There is an increasingly growing demand for rapid and safe sterilization strategies to overcome implantationassociated infection. Herein, a NIR light-triggered antimicrobial heterojunction of CuFe2O4-MXene was constructed by in-situ growing CuFe2O4 on Ti3C2 MXene, then was homogeneously incorporated into poly (L-lactic acid) and fabricated into tracheal scaffold by selective laser technology. The tracheal scaffolds with the heterojunction not only generated hyperthermia and exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) under NIR light irradiation, but also depleted glutathione (GSH) in bacteria and produce endogenous ROS via Fenton(-like) reaction, thus achieving strong and persistent antibacterial cascade effect. They killed 96.49% of S. aureus and 95.33% of P. aeruginosa after NIR light irradiating for 15 min. Moreover, the tracheal scaffold with the heterojunction had excellent cytocompatibility and chondrogenic-promoting ability. This work designed the tracheal scaffold with effective antibacterial ability and cartilage regeneration function, which will bring a new dawn for the patients with tracheal injury.

Automated summary

In this study, a nanomaterial CuFe2O4-MXene that generates hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species (ROS) under NIR light irradiation was developed. It showed strong antibacterial effects against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Moreover, the material exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and chondrogenic-promoting ability, making it a potential candidate for tracheal scaffold with antibacterial and cartilage regeneration functions.