Comparative effects of controlled release of sodium bicarbonate and doxorubicin on osteoblast and osteosarcoma cell viability

Abstract

This study intends to analyze the effects of doxorubicin and sodium bicarbonate release with polycaprolactone (PCL) coating from a calcium phosphate system on the osteoblast and osteosarcoma cell viability and proliferation. Increased systematic pH concentrations locally by the release of sodium bicarbonate diminished acidosis and alleviated malignancy. In our study, we have shown that the same dosage of doxorubicin inhibited both osteoblast and osteosarcoma cell attachment and viability, whereas sodium bicarbonate abated osteosarcoma cell proliferation. Sodium bicarbonate also inhibited osteoblast cell proliferation in the early time points; however, the cell viability increased after the initial burst release of the molecule. Polymer coating on calcium phosphate–based implants, as carriers of drug, can minimize chances of toxic effects of higher oral drug dosage in the body and also help in delivering effective doses of drugs, locally to the target tissues, compared with the oral drug delivery approach. A coating of PCL was, thus, incorporated to control the initial burst release of bicarbonate, which enhanced the osteoblast cell viability, and was capable of diminishing osteosarcoma cell proliferation. The novelty and clinical significance of this study lies in the understanding of unique delivery system using encapsulated naturally occurring and more benign sodium bicarbonate, for usage after excision of the cancerous bone, without any adverse effects on normal bone cells.