In vitro cytotoxicity of galvanically coupled magnesium‐titanium particles on human osteosarcoma SAOS2 cells: A potential cancer therapy

Abstract Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone cancer that occurs mostly in children and young adults. This study investigated the cytotoxicity of Mg and Mg‐Ti microparticles to human osteosarcoma cells. Osteosarcoma cells were killed in a dosage‐dependent manner when cells, with a cell seeding density of 30,000 cells/cm², were cultured with 0 to 2500 µg/mL of Mg or Mg‐Ti in cell culture media for 24–72 h. Mg‐Ti killed cells more effectively, where 1250 µg/mL of Mg‐Ti killed cells completely by 24 h, while 2500 µg/mL of Mg killed nearly all cells, but not all. Killing due to particle corrosion occurred mostly during the first 24 h, and so the percent cell viability between 24 and 72 h showed not much variability. However, the measurement of live and dead cell numbers, over the timeframe of 24–72 h, showed more insight, such as cell recovery. If particle concentrations were low, the number of live cells increased after 24 h, indicating cell proliferation. If particle concentrations were high, the number of live cells either remained steady or decreased, indicating cell quiescence or continued killing, respectively. Increase in the number of dead cells also indicated killing, while plateau meant discontinued killing. In addition, repeated killing of recovered cells exhibited the same dose‐dependent killing profile as the initial experiment, implying little development of cell resistance to treatment. These results, together, show that osteosarcoma cells are susceptible to killing by way of exposure to corroding particles, showing highly effective killing using the galvanic couple of Mg‐Ti. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 107B: 178–189, 2019.