Application of hollow pollen grains as scaffolding building blocks for
post-surgical bone cancer treatment
Abstract
After surgical removal of bone tumors, elimination of the remains of
cancer cells along with tissue healing and functionality is a
therapeutic goal. Regarding the destructive effect of
chemo-/radiotherapy on healthy cells, the development of multimodal
scaffolds with simultaneous anticancer and osteo-regenerative potency is
of particular importance as regenerative medicine for bone tissue
engineering. Our previous study demonstrated that hollow pollen grain
(HPG) of Pistacia vera L. offers a unique bone-forming activity and
encapsulating capacity that it can be considered as an excellent
scaffolding building block in bottom-up bone engineering. In the present
study, for the first time, the anticancer potential of Pistacia vera L.
HPG was investigated in-vitro using human osteosarcoma cell line MG63.
Optical imaging of the HPG-cell interface indicated large focal adhesion
due to the HPG unique surface features such as functionality and
ornamentation. MTT assay results showed an anti-proliferative effect of
HPG on the MG63 cells. Moreover, from the gene expression and DAPI
staining analyses, HPG of Pistacia vera L. was found to be an
apoptosis-inducing building block against MG63 bone cancer cells. So
therefore, such a multifunctional building block with the ability of
discriminatory killing human osteosarcoma cell line is proposed to be
used after surgery to not only hinder cancer recurrence after surgery
but also to stimulate bone healing.