Engineered Curcumin/Strontium Nanoparticles Grafted with K6-CAMEL0 Peptide for the Multifaceted Treatment of Bone Infections.

Abstract

To address the clinical challenges of bacterial infection, inflammation, oxidative stress, ischemia-hypoxia, and excessive bone resorption during infected bone therapy, a multifunctional nanoparticle (Cur/Sr@CAMEL0 NPs) is engineered by integrating a self-assembled curcumin-strontium metal-phenolic network core (Cur/Sr NPs) with a hexameric lysine-conjugated antimicrobial peptide (K6-CAMEL0) via surface modification. The resultant nanoparticle exhibits distinctive morphological and structural characteristics, along with favorable cellular compatibility. Functionally, it is demonstrated to exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, along with inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capabilities, pro-angiogenic effects, and significant promotion of necrotic bone resorption and normal bone regeneration. In an infected bone defect animal model, the composite nanoparticle effectively eradicated Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） colonization and facilitated the bone regeneration process through single-dose administration. These findings collectively highlight the therapeutic potential of Cur/Sr@CAMEL0 as a multifunctional platform for managing bone infections, offering a promising strategy to address complex challenges in infected bone diseases.