Biomimetic bioactive multifunctional poly(citrate-siloxane)-based nanofibrous scaffolds enable efficient multidrug-resistant bacterial treatment/non-invasive tracking in vitro/in vivo

Multidrug-resistant bacterial (MDRB) infections are still a critical challenge in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Bioactive biodegradable scaffolds with the ability to combat MDRB infections and that have high biocompatibility could likely address this problem. Herein, we develop a biomimetic photoluminescent and antibacterial gelatin-poly(citrate-siloxane)-ε-poly(l-lysine) (GT-PCS-EPL) nanofibrous scaffold for multifunctional tissue regeneration applications. GT-PCS-EPL had biomimetic elastomeric behavior; tunable photoluminescence; broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, including against MDRB infections; and enhanced osteogenic bioactivity capacity. The photoluminescent property of GT-PCS-EPL scaffolds enabled their real-time noninvasive imaging tracking in vivo. GT-PCS-EPL scaffolds not only killed normal bacteria but also efficiently treated MDRB growth in vitro and infections in vivo. GT-PCS-EPL scaffolds also had excellent hemocompatibility and osteoblast biocompatibility. This study provides a novel strategy to design biomimetic bioactive scaffolds with multifunctional properties for smart infection-related tissue regeneration applications.