pH/ROS-responsive magnesium scaffold functionalized via hydrazone bonds for localized postoperative bone tumor...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Oncology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Surgery is the primary treatment for bone tumors like osteosarcoma, often requiring adjuvant therapies.
• Localized drug delivery systems can minimize systemic toxicity from chemotherapy.
• Scaffolds are used to restore bone mechanics post-surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a pH/ROS-responsive magnesium scaffold for controlled doxorubicin release.
• To enhance drug loading efficiency and achieve targeted chemotherapy delivery.
• To assess the scaffold's efficacy and safety in vivo for bone tumor treatment.

Main Methods:

• Micro-arc oxidation technology was used to functionalize magnesium scaffolds with hydrazone bonds.
• Doxorubicin loading and release kinetics were studied under physiological and tumor-mimicking acidic conditions.
• In vivo studies evaluated the scaffold's impact on wound healing and osteosarcoma growth.

Main Results:

• The chemically adsorbed drug loading efficiency was significantly higher (793.5 ng) compared to physical adsorption (508.4 ng).
• The scaffold exhibited minimal doxorubicin release (2.43%) at pH 7.4 but high release (84.82%) at pH 6.2.
• In vivo, the scaffold promoted wound healing and inhibited osteosarcoma growth by 87.67% without impairing healing.

Conclusions:

• The pH/ROS-responsive magnesium scaffold enables efficient, localized doxorubicin delivery for bone tumor therapy.
• This intelligent scaffold system offers a promising alternative to conventional chemotherapy, reducing systemic side effects.
• The developed scaffold demonstrates significant potential for postoperative bone tumor treatment.