Design of alveolate Se-inserted TiO₂ and its effect on osteosarcoma cells and osteoblasts

Osteosarcoma is a common clinical disease with high incidence, relapse rate and lethality. Thus it is urgently necessary to fabricate bone implants with anti-tumor functions to improve the prognosis of bone cancer. In this study, a novel double-layer TiO₂ nano-grid with an outer diameter of 100 nm and an inner diameter of 35 nm is prepared by a simple two-step anodization procedure. In the outer pore of the double-layer TiO₂ nano-grid, we precisely embed selenium (Se) nanoparticles using electrodeposition, and this process can be readily tailored by adjusting the time. Biological assays indicate that the prepared Se-embedded TiO₂ nano-grid arrays show a dose-dependent anti-tumor effect by inducing apoptosis in MG63 cells. Compared with the Ti substrate, the Se-embedded TiO₂ which has a double-layer honeycomb structure facilitates healthy cell (MC3T3-E1) growth when the electrodeposition time is less than 1 h. Thus the novel bone implants have a balanced anti-tumor effect and biocompatibility and are therefore potential candidates for the treatment of osteosarcoma.