Osteosarcoma is the most common form of primary bone cancer. Survival rates for the condition have not improved significantly since the 1970’s, despite the use of chemotherapy and surgery to remove tumors. There is an urgent need for new treatment options for the disease.
In the current study, researchers combined bioactive glasses with gallium oxide, and observed the resulting substance’s effects on bone cancer cells. Bioactive glasses are a filling material that can bond to tissues and improve bone and tooth strength, whereas gallium is a highly toxic metal.
Ultimately, the researchers found that bioactive glasses containing gallium oxide reduced both the proliferation and migration of bone cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Glasses with 5 mol% gallium oxide reduced osteosarcoma cell viability by 99% without being cytotoxic to non-cancerous human osteoblasts that acted as controls.
"When we observed the glasses, we could see the formation of a layer of amorphous calcium phosphate/ hydroxy apatite layer on the surface of the bioactive glass particulates, which indicates bone growth,” said lead author of the study, Professor Richard Martin from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University, in a press release.
"We believe that our findings could lead to a treatment that is more effective and localized, reducing side effects, and can even regenerate diseased bones,” he added.
Study author Dr Lucas Souza, research laboratory manager for the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, also commented on the study in the press release:
"The safety and effectiveness of these biomaterials will need to be tested further, but the initial results are really promising. Treatments for a bone cancer diagnosis remain very limited and there's still much we don't understand. Research like this is vital to support in the development of new drugs and new methodologies for treatment options."
Sources: Science Daily, Biomedical Materials