Smart Titanium Coating Composed of Antibiotic Conjugated Peptides as an Infection-Responsive Antibacterial Agent.

Antibacterial coating is rapidly emerging as a pivotal strategy for mitigating spread of bacterial pathogens. However, many challenges still need to be overcome in order to develop a smart coating that can achieve on-demand antibacterial effects. In this study, a Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) sensitive peptide sequence is designed, and an antibiotic is then conjugated with this tailor-made peptide. The antibiotic-peptide conjugate is then linked to the surface of a titanium implant, where the peptide can be recognized and cleaved by an enzyme secreted by S. aureus. This allows for the release of antibiotics in the presence of S. aureus, thus achieving delivery of an antibacterial specifically when an infection occurs.