Titanium surfaces with adherent selenium nanoclusters as a novel anticancer orthopedic material

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Current orthopedic implants suffer from poor osseointegration, stress shielding, and wear debris-induced bone cell death.
• Existing materials do not prevent cancer occurrence or recurrence in patients undergoing bone cancer resection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a novel biomaterial coating for orthopedic implants that enhances bone restoration and prevents cancer growth.
• To investigate the potential of elemental selenium for its chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties in orthopedic applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of titanium substrates with varying surface densities of elemental selenium nanoclusters via selenite salt reduction.
• Characterization of the nanostructured composite surfaces using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).
• In vitro assessment of cellular responses, including adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium deposition of healthy bone cells and cancerous bone cells on different surfaces.

Main Results:

• Successful formation of adherent, hemispherical selenium nanoclusters on titanium substrates, creating a nanostructured composite surface.
• High-density selenium-doped titanium surfaces demonstrated significant inhibition of cancerous bone cell proliferation.
• These selenium-modified surfaces promoted healthy bone cell functions, including adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium deposition, compared to untreated titanium.

Conclusions:

• Elemental selenium nanoclusters offer a promising chemopreventive coating for titanium orthopedic implants.
• This novel biomaterial approach can simultaneously promote healthy bone cell function and inhibit cancer cell growth at the implant-tissue interface.