ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Cell and Gene Therapy
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1507248
Poly-ether-ether-ketone wear particles induce a pro-inflammatory phenotype in a human monocytic cell line
Provisionally accepted
- 1Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
- 2School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- 3Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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The aim of this study was to assess potential pro-inflammatory responses induced in a human monocyte cell line by poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) particles. Investigations also focussed on the role of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in immune responses to PEEK. Methods PEEK particles were generated using a four-station multi-directional pin-on-plate wear simulator and used to treat THP-1 macrophages for 24 hours at dosages of 0.5-50m 3 per cell. THP-1 cell supernatant was used for protein secretion analysis using ELISA and gene expression investigations using RT-qPCR. TLR4 inhibition was also achieved using CLI-095 by treating cells prior to PEEK exposure. ROS production was investigated following PEEK treatment. IL-1secretion was investigated by treating PEEK-exposed cells to 5mM ATP for 1 hour in order to assess the role of the inflammasome.PEEK particles were not immediately cytotoxic to THP-1 macrophages and induced a significant increase in gene expression and protein secretion of IL-8, CCL2, CCL3, and CCL4 at the highest dose (p<0.0001). This increase in pro-inflammatory genes and proteins was not inhibited following blockade of TLR4. ROS production was significantly upregulated in the PEEK-treated cells and IL-1secretion was also significantly increased following the addition of ATP to PEEK-exposed THP-1 cells.PEEK particles are capable of inducing a pro-inflammatory phenotype in a human macrophage cell line which is not a result of TLR4 activation. PEEK particles do act in a PAMP-like manner and are able to induce ROS production as well as initiate inflammasome activation.
Keywords: Chemokines, Macrophages, immunology, Osteoarthritis, immune response
Received: 24 Oct 2024; Accepted: 25 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jamieson, Hyde, Card, Deehan, Kirby and Tyson-Capper. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shannon Jamieson, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England, United Kingdom
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