Selenium-Modified TiO₂ Nanoarrays with Antibacterial and Anticancer Properties for Postoperation Therapy Applications

After surgical resection of osteosarcoma, there is an obligatory need to implement postoperative therapies for preventing possible infection and/or recurrence. The therapeutic agents and employed methods thus need to fulfill antibacterial and anticancer requirements. A type of selenium (Se)-modified titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoarray was developed and used as potential implants for the postoperative treatment of osteosarcoma. The TiO₂ nanoarray was fabricated via a seed-mediated hydrothermal method, and the Se-modification was conducted by electrochemical deposition method. The Se-modified TiO₂ nanoarrays containing varied amounts of Se were tested for the safe Se dose as well as for antibacterial and anticancer properties, basing on the interactions between the nanoarrays and different kinds of cells or bacteria. It was found that the maximal safe dose of Se should be controlled about 6.43 wt % or less on the basis of the tested adhesion and spreading of MC3T3-E1 cells. The Se-modified TiO₂ nanoarray containing about 6.43 wt % of Se showed promising antibacterial abilities against both Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Meanwhile, it was also capable of suppressing the growth of MG63 cells, a kind of osteosarcoma cells. These results suggest that such Se-modified TiO₂ nanoarrays have potential in the use of implants for the postoperative therapy of osteosarcoma.