Bone Cancer Therapy Research Articles

The local and circulating SOX9 as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of primary bone cancer

PurposeThe status of the local and circulating SOX9, a master regulator of the tumor fate, and its relevance to tumor types, severity, invasion feature, response to therapy, and chemotherapy treatment were surveyed in bone cancer in the current study. MethodsThe SOX9 expression level was evaluated in tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with different types of malignant and benign bone tumors also tumor margin tissues using Real-Time PCR. The protein level of SOX9 was assessed using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Also, the correlations of the SOX9 expression level with the patient’s clinical and pathological features were considered. ResultsThe remarkable overexpression of SOX9 was detected in bone tumors compared to tumor margin tissues (P < 0.0001). Malignant bone tumors revealed a higher expression of SOX9 compared to benign tumors (P < 0.0001) while osteosarcoma tumors showed higher expression levels compared to Ewing sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. Overexpression of SOX9 was observed in high grade, metastatic, recurrent tumors also tumors with poor response to therapy. Besides, the patients under the chemotherapy treatment demonstrated higher levels of SOX9 compared to the rest of malignant tumors (P = 0.02). The simultaneous up-regulation of circulating SOX9 in the patients with bone cancer was observed compared to healthy individuals (P < 0.0001) accompanying with overexpression of SOX9 in malignant tumors compared to benign tumors (P < 0.0001). The circulating SOX9 expression was up-regulated in the patients with malignant bone tumors who receive chemotherapy treatment also patients with high grade, metastatic, recurrent tumors. The protein level of SOX9 was in line with our data on the SOX9 gene expression. ConclusionThe simultaneous overexpression of local and circulating SOX9 in bone cancer besides its positive correlation with tumor severity, malignancy, size, and chemotherapy may deserve receiving more attention in bone cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Multifunctional Bone Scaffolds: From Regeneration to Bone Cancer Therapy

A 3D bone scaffold is perceived as a biodegradable porous structure by which the healing process would be significantly accelerated

A novel three-dimensional printing of electroconductive scaffolds for bone cancer therapy application

Objective(s): Tissue engineering aims to achieve a tissue, which has highly interconnected porous microstructure concurrent with appropriate mechanical and biological properties. Materials and Methods: Therefore, the microstructure scaffolds are of great importance in this field. In the present study, an electroconductive poly-lactic acid (EC-PLA) filament used to fabricate a porous bone scaffold. For scaffolds model designed, solid-work software was used. Then, the designed modeled was transferred to simplify 3D to laminated with its G-Code file for fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer to create a scaffold with porosity around 65-75%. Two different shapes were designed and fabricated (cylindrical and cubic shape). The samples were coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticle to enhance its chemical stability. In this study, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that the EC-PLA is non-crystalized and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) used to present the apatite formation on the surface of porous scaffolds. The compression test, fracture toughness, and hardness were measured. The biological response in the physiological saline was performed to determine the rate of degradation of EC-PLA in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and the apatite formation in the simulated body fluid (SBF) after 14 days. Results: Finally, the biocompatibility of the porous architecture was monitored using human gum (HuGu) cells. The ABAQUS modeling simulation was used to compare the experimental and analytical results. The obtained results showed that by applying force to both cylindrical and cubic scaffold, the Von Mises Stress (VMS) could withstand the scaffold mentioned above at 9.7-11 MPa. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that prepared porous scaffolds have a high potential in bone tissue engineering and probably the treatment of tumor-related bone defects as photothermal therapy. The porous EC-PLA scaffold was successfully fabricated and showed appropriate compressive strength (39.14 MPa), with controllable porosity of 60-70 %, which is a suitable candidate for replacing in bone tissues.

Super-paramagnetic nanostructured CuZnMg mixed spinel ferrite for bone tissue regeneration.

Spinel ferrite-based nanoparticles are being widely applied in bone tissue regeneration because of their outstanding properties such as their capability to be applied in hyperthermia-based bone cancer therapy. In the present study, Cu0.3Zn0.2Mg0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles are synthesized through thermal-treatment method followed by calcination at 650 °C. The calcined nanoparticles are characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and elemental mapping, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Then from the nanoparticles, a disk is fabricated and sintered at 800 °C to assess Cu0.3Zn0.2Mg0.5Fe2O4 basic requirements of a bone substitute like apatite-formation ability, degradation, mechanical properties, and cell compatibility and so compressive strength, apatite forming ability up to 21 days in simulated body fluid (SBF), in vitro degradation in two different buffers, antibacterial activity, cell compatibility, and attachment are assessed in vitro. The results show that the magnetization saturation (Ms) is increased from 52 to 60 emu/g when the nanoparticles are sintered at 800 °C. Immersion the disk into SBF is synchronized with deposition of spherical CaP particles on the surface of disk and the XRD after soaking period proves that the depositions are hydroxyapatite. The degradability of disk is assessed into phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and citric acid buffer (CAB) up to 21 days. A gram-positive and a gram-negative bacteria are used to assess the disk's antibacterial activity and the disk exhibits acceptable activity against both of them. The cell compatibility and attachment of disk in the exposure of MG63 cell line are assessed up to 7 days and the results prove high cell compatibility of the disk.

Multifunctional mesoporous magnetic Mg2SiO4–CuFe2O4 core-shell nanocomposite for simultaneous bone cancer therapy and regeneration

Abstract Traditional bone grafts have shown their abilities for successful bone regeneration, but they are not able to address other critical problems such as infection and bone cancer beside bone regeneration. Multifunctional nanocomposites are highly being assessed as potential materials capable of addressing the mentioned crucial problems and basic requirements of bone regeneration simultaneously. In this study, by adopting a two-step strategy including sol-gel combustion and surfactant-assisted sol-gel methods, multifunctional Mg2SiO4–CuFe2O4 nanocomposite is synthesized. The nanocomposite's phase, morphology, textural properties, and elemental distribution are characterized and the results evidence that the mesoporous magnetic nanocomposite with core-shell structure is successfully obtained and no undesirable phase except Mg2SiO4 and CuFe2O4 is detected. Next, the bioactivity potential into simulated body fluid (SBF), antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, heat generation capability (hyperthermia), MTT assay, and cell attachment of the nanocomposite are assessed in vitro. After 21 days of soaking into SBF, the surface of nanocomposite is completely covered with Ca–P particles proving its bioactive nature. The nanocomposite has better antibacterial activity against E. coli rather than S. aureus bacteria. By exposing the nanocomposite to different external magnetic fields and constant frequency, it is found that based on the need the heat generation capability can be altered. The cell viability increases with diluting the concentration of nanocomposite from 100 to 25 mg/mL and cell attachment study shows that MG63 cells are spread and attached to the surface of nanocomposite. Through the results of present study, it can be suggested that the nanocomposite by showing antibacterial activity which prevents localized infection and also heat generation capability which eradicates bone cancerous cells is regarded promising for simultaneous bone cancer therapy and regeneration.

Catechins-Modified Selenium-Doped Hydroxyapatite Nanomaterials for Improved Osteosarcoma Therapy Through Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species.

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer with limited therapeutic options. It can be treated by selenium-doped hydroxyapatite owing to its known antitumor potential. However, a high concentration of Se is toxic toward normal and stem cells whereas its low concentration cannot effectively remove cancer cells. Therefore, the current study was aimed to improve the anticancer activity of Se-HAp nanoparticles through catechins (CC) modification owing to their high cancer therapeutic value. The sequentially developed catechins modified Se-HAp nanocomposites (CC/Se-HAp) were characterized for various physico-chemical properties and antitumor activity. Structural analysis showed the synthesis of small rod-like single phase HAp nanoparticles (60 ± 15 nm), which effectively interacted with Se and catechins and formed agglomerated structures. TEM analysis showed the internalization and degradation of CC/Se-HAp nanomaterials within MNNG/HOS cells through a non-specific endocytosis process. Cell toxicity analysis showed that catechins modification improved the antitumor activity of Se-HAp nanocomposites by inducing apoptosis of human osteosarcoma MNNG/HOS cell lines, through generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which in turn activated the caspase-3 pathway, without significantly affecting the growth of human normal bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs). qPCR and western blot analyses revealed that casp3, p53, and bax genes were significantly upregulated while cox-2 and PTK-2 were slightly downregulated as compared to control in CC/Se-HAp-treated MNNG/HOS cell lines. The current study of combining natural biomaterial (i.e., catechins) with Se and HAp, can prove to be an effective therapeutic approach for bone cancer therapy.

Comparative evaluation of magnetic hyperthermia performance and biocompatibility of magnetite and novel Fe-doped hardystonite nanoparticles for potential bone cancer therapy

Hyperthermia—increasing temperature of cancerous tissue for a short period of time—is considered as an effective treatment for various cancer types such as malignant bone tumors. Superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic particles have been studied for their hyperthermic properties in treating various types of cancers. The activation of magnetic nanoparticles by an alternating magnetic field is currently being explored as a technique for targeted therapeutic heating of different tumors and is being studied as an adjuvant to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In the case of bone cancers, to increase the efficiency of treatment in the hyperthermia therapy, employed materials should support bone regeneration as well. Magnetite is one of the most attractive magnetic nanoceramics used in hyperthermia application. However, biocompatibility and bioactivity of this material have raised questions. There is a high demand for extremely efficient hyperthermia materials which are equally biocompatible to non-tumor cells and tissues. We report the development of a biocompatible and bioactive material with desirable magnetic properties that show excellent hyperthermia properties and can be used for destruction of the cancerous tissue in addition to supporting tissue regeneration for treatment of bone tumors. In the current study, iron (Fe3+)-containing HT nanostructured material was prepared, and its biocompatibility, bioactivity, and hyperthermia abilities were studied. The developed materials showed effective hyperthermic properties with increased biocompatibility as compared to magnetite.

Endophytic Fungi: A Source of Potential Antifungal Compounds.

The emerging and reemerging forms of fungal infections encountered in the course of allogeneic bone marrow transplantations, cancer therapy, and organ transplants have necessitated the discovery of antifungal compounds with enhanced efficacy and better compatibility. A very limited number of antifungal compounds are in practice against the various forms of topical and systemic fungal infections. The trends of new antifungals being introduced into the market have remained insignificant while resistance towards the introduced drug has apparently increased, specifically in patients undergoing long-term treatment. Considering the immense potential of natural microbial products for the isolation and screening of novel antibiotics for different pharmaceutical applications as an alternative source has remained largely unexplored. Endophytes are one such microbial community that resides inside all plants without showing any symptoms with the promise of producing diverse bioactive molecules and novel metabolites which have application in medicine, agriculture, and industrial set ups. This review substantially covers the antifungal compounds, including volatile organic compounds, isolated from fungal endophytes of medicinal plants during 2013–2018. Some of the methods for the activation of silent biosynthetic genes are also covered. As such, the compounds described here possess diverse configurations which can be a step towards the development of new antifungal agents directly or precursor molecules after the required modification.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MAGNETIC-HYDROXY APATITE COMPOSITE USINGONE SPOT COPRECIPITATION METHOD

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MAGNETIC-HYDROXY APATITE COMPOSITE USINGONE SPOT COPRECIPITATION METHOD . Nanocomposite of magnetic-hydroxyapatite (MHAP) has the potential to be developed as a biocompatible-biodegradable material for bone cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this study, such composite materials have been successfully synthesized by one-spot coprecipitation method and ultrasonic dispersion. The mass ratio between magnetic and hydroxyapatite fraction were varied to 30:70 (K30), 40:60 (K40) and 50:50 (K50). X-Ray Diffractometer, Transmission Electron Microscope, Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectrometer and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer were used for characterizing the properties of MHAP composite. X-Ray Diffraction pattern reveals the presence of magnetic and HAP phases, confirm the establishment of MHAP composite system. TEM image and FT-IR spectra shows the spherical morphology of magnetic nanoparticles with a size of ~ 10 nm entrapped within HAP nanorod structure without any chemical bonding between the two phase.With such physical composite mechanismand higher energy induce by ultrasonic dispersion process, magnetic fraction of even 50% mass fraction could still be loaded into HAP matrix and provide maximum magnetisation value of 34.6 emu/g. This magnetization value is higher than the result of another study of MHAP synthesis, giving better prospect for bone cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Vincristine-loaded hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as a potential delivery system for bone cancer therapy

Despite advances in the development of new therapeutic agents and diagnostic imaging techniques, the 5-year survival of osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer, remains practically unaltered for the last three decades at around 60%. Nanoparticle-based carriers have emerged as new class of drug delivery systems that could potentially overcome conventional chemotherapy limitations, by promoting a better drug biodistribution profile by allowing a preferential accumulation of the drug in the desired tissue, while minimising non-targeted tissue toxicity, thus resulting in an improved overall therapeutic effectiveness. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANP) are known to be biocompatible and non-immunogenic and have shown to be preferentially accumulated in bone tissues being considered a promising carrier to bone tissues. Herein, we successfully synthesised mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with mean size of 285.32 ± 10.29 nm and superficial area of 103.5 m2/g, containing significant quantities of chemotherapeutic drug vincristine. A spectrophotometric method was developed and validated aiming to quantify the vincristine (VCR)-loaded in nanoparticles. Chorioallantoic membrane assay revealed relevant anti-angiogenic activity of system, leading to accentuated reduction in the number of blood vessels in fertilised eggs. Findings presented in this paper suggested that VCR-loaded HANP has a promising future as a nanocarrier for bone cancer treatment.

Lectin-conjugated pH-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for targeted bone cancer treatment.

The development of highly selective and efficient tumor-targeted smart drug delivery nanodevices remains a great challenge in nanomedicine. This work reports the design and optimization of a multifunctional nanosystem based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) featuring selectivity towards human osteosarcoma cells and pH-responsive antitumor drug delivery capability. The novelty and originality of this manuscript relies on proving that the synergistic assembly of different building blocks into a unique nanoplatform increases antitumor effectiveness and decreases toxicity towards healthy cells, which constitutes a new paradigm in targeted bone cancer therapy.

Nano-Hydroxyapatite Doped with Ho-166 as Drug Delivery System for Bone Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis: Developing a Theragnostic Radiopharmaceuticals.

The use of nanobiomaterials is increasing each day. Among the immense variety of nanomaterials developed and studied the hydroxyapatite is one of the most ones. In this study we developed and tested nano-hydroxyapatite dopped with Ho-166 for bone cancer. The results showed that the nano-hydroxyapatite dopped with Ho-166 has a great affinity for the bone. The pre-clinical studies support the use as a nano-radiopharmaceuticals for bone cancer treatment and diagnosis.

Liquids treated by atmospheric pressure plasma jet for bone cancer therapy

En los últimos años se ha empezado a desarrollar una posible terapia contra el cáncer mediante plasmas fríos a presión atmosférica. Los efectos celulares que se han observado (toxicidad selectiva de células de cáncer frente a células sanas) indican una posible implicación de los líquidos tratados con plasma. El objetivo del presente trabajo es el de investigar los efectos del plasma a presión atmosférica en medios de cultivo celulares, en cuanto a la generación de distintas especies reactivas y sus posibles efectos en células óseas tanto sanas como cancerígenas. Se trataron dos medios de cultivo con un haz de plasma de helio a presión atmosférica y se determinaron tres especies reactivas [H2O2], [NO2-] y [HO•] de manera cuantitativa. Se evaluó la citotoxicidad de un medio de cultivo tratado en células óseas cancerígenas (SaOs-2) y sanas (Hobs). Los resultados muestran la generación progresiva de distintas especies reactivas en función del tiempo de tratamiento con plasma y son las principales responsables de la muerte celular de células de cáncer de forma selectiva.

Targeted drug delivery of near IR fluorescent doxorubicin-conjugated poly(ethylene glycol) bisphosphonate nanoparticles for diagnosis and therapy of primary and metastatic bone cancer in a mouse model.

BackgroundMost primary and metastatic bone tumors demonstrate increased osteoclast activity and bone resorption. Current treatment is based on a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Severe side effects are associated with chemotherapy due to use of high dosage and nonspecific uptake. Bisphosphonates have a strong affinity to Ca2+ ions and are widely used in the treatment of bone disorders.ResultsWe have engineered a unique biodegradable bisphosphonate nanoparticle (NPs) bearing two functional surface groups: (1) primary amine groups for covalent attachment of a dye/drug (e.g. NIR dye Cy 7 or doxorubicin); (2) bisphosphonate groups for targeting and chelation to bone hydroxyapatite. In addition, these engineered NPs contain high polyethyleneglycol (PEG) concentration in order to increase their blood half life time. In vitro experiments on Saos-2 human osteosarcoma cell line, demonstrated that at a tenth of the concentration, doxorubicin-conjugated bisphosphonate NPs achieved a similar uptake to free doxorubicin. In vivo targeting experiments using the NIR fluorescence bisphosphonate NPs on both Soas-2 human osteosarcoma xenograft mouse model and orthotopic bone metastases mCherry-labeled 4T1 breast cancer mouse model confirmed specific targeting. In addition, therapeutic in vivo experiments using doxorubicin-conjugated bisphosphonate NPs demonstrated a 40% greater inhibition of tumor growth in Saos-2 human osteosarcoma xenograft mouse model when compared to free doxorubicin.ConclusionsIn this research we have shown the potential use of doxorubicin-conjugated BP NPs for the targeting and treatment of primary and metastatic bone tumors. The targeted delivery of doxorubicin to the tumor significantly increased the efficacy of the anti-cancer drug, thus enabling the effective use of a lower concentration of doxorubicin. Furthermore, the targeting ability of the BP NPs in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model reinforced our findings that these BP NPs have the potential to be used for the treatment of primary and metastatic bone cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12951-016-0233-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A doxorubicin delivery system: Samarium/mesoporous bioactive glass/alginate composite microspheres

Samarium (Sm) incorporated mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBG) microspheres have been prepared using the method of alginate cross-linking with Ca2+ ions. The in vitro bioactivities of Sm/MBG/alginate microspheres were studied by immersing in simulated body fluid (SBF) for various periods. The results indicated that the Sm/MBG/alginate microspheres have a faster apatite formation rate on the surface. To investigate their delivery properties further, doxorubicin (DOX) was selected as a model drug. The results showed that the Sm/MBG/alginate microspheres exhibit sustained DOX delivery, and their release mechanism is controlled by Fickian diffusion according the Higuchi model. In addition, the delivery of DOX from Sm/MBG/alginate microspheres can be dominated by changing the doping concentration of Sm and the values of pH microenvironment. These all revealed that this material is a promising candidate for the therapy of bone cancer.

Ca2+, pH and thermo triple-responsive mechanized Zr-based MOFs for on-command drug release in bone diseases.

We report a new approach towards the design of multi-stimuli responsive "gated scaffolds" based on the combination of capped metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and supramolecular[2]pseudorotaxanes. These mechanized Zr-MOFs showed negligible premature release, high drug encapsulation, low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. Around or inside the bone tumour cells, the pH, lysosomal pH, and osteoclast pH are observed to be lowered (acidosis), and thus the resulting osteolysis increases the Ca2+ concentration (hypercalcemia). The drug release from the mechanized MOFs was triggered by the simultaneous variations of pH and Ca2+ concentration in bone tumour cells. Hyperthermia (also called thermal therapy or thermotherapy) as a popular type of cancer treatment technique can also control drug release in the above-mentioned system. This design opens up the possibility of developing smart biomaterials for bone regeneration and cancer therapy.

Microfluidic-directed synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles for bone cancer therapy

Microfluidic-directed synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles for bone cancer therapy

Preparation and characterization of an iron oxide-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite for potential bone cancer therapy.

Recently, multifunctional magnetic nanostructures have been found to have potential applications in biomedical and tissue engineering. Iron oxide nanoparticles are biocompatible and have distinctive magnetic properties that allow their use in vivo for drug delivery and hyperthermia, and as T2 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Hydroxyapatite is used frequently due to its well-known biocompatibility, bioactivity, and lack of toxicity, so a combination of iron oxide and hydroxyapatite materials could be useful because hydroxyapatite has better bone-bonding ability. In this study, we prepared nanocomposites of iron oxide and hydroxyapatite and analyzed their physicochemical properties. The results suggest that these composites have superparamagnetic as well as biocompatible properties. This type of material architecture would be well suited for bone cancer therapy and other biomedical applications.

Effect of pulsed electromagnetic field on MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels in chondrosarcoma cells stimulated with IL-1β.

Chondrosarcoma, the second most common type of bone malignancy, is characterized by distant metastasis and local invasion. Previous studies have shown that treatment by pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) has beneficial effects on various cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of PEMF applied for 3 and 7 days on the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels in chondrosarcoma SW1353 cells stimulated with two different doses of IL-1β. SW1353 cells were treated with (0.5 and 5 ng/ml) IL-1β and PEMF exposure was applied either 3 or 7 days. MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels were measured in conditioned media by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results were relative to protein levels. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). P<0.05 was considered significant. PEMF treatment significantly decreased MMP-9 protein levels in human chondrosarcoma cells stimulated with 0.5 ng/ml IL-1β at day 7, whereas it did not show any effect on cells stimulated with 5 ng/ml IL-1β. There was no significant change in TIMP-1 protein levels either by IL-1β stimulation or by PEMF treatment. The results of this study showed that PEMF treatment suppressed IL-1β-mediated upregulation of MMP-9 protein levels in a dual effect manner. This finding may offer new perspectives in the therapy of bone cancer.

Functional mesoporous bioactive glass nanospheres: synthesis, high loading efficiency, controllable delivery of doxorubicin and inhibitory effect on bone cancer cells.

Controllable drug delivery is one of the important ways for the therapy of bone cancer. Conventional mesoporous silica nano-particles may lack dual properties for combining controllable delivery of anti-cancer drugs and bone-forming bioactivity for bone cancer therapy. The aim of this study is to synthesize mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) nanospheres with combined dual functions of bioactivity and controlled drug delivery, and to further investigate their delivery property of anti-cancer drugs as well as the functional effect on bone-cancer cells. MBG nanospheres with spherical morphology and internal mesoporous microstructures were successfully prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The prepared MBG nanospheres possess high specific surface area and mesopore volume (443 m2 g-1, 0.57 cm3 g-1) as well as uniform mesopore size distribution (2.9 nm). The MBG nanospheres demonstrate excellent bioactivity by inducing apatite mineralization in simulated body fluids. An anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), was successfully loaded in the MBG nanospheres with a distinctively high loading efficiency of around 90%. The loading amount of DOX can be effectively controlled by adjusting the initial drug-loading concentrations. MBG nanospheres can maintain a sustained release of DOX, and their release kinetics can be controlled by varying the pH microenvironment and initial drug-loading concentrations. In addition, the prepared MBG nanospheres showed obvious degradation by releasing Ca2+ and SiO4 4- ions in PBS. Furthermore, the delivery of DOX from MBG nanospheres into cell culture environment shows a significant inhibitory effect on the viability of osteosarcoma cells with the increase of interaction time. The prepared MBG nanospheres have high specific surface area and mesopore volume, excellent apatite-mineralization ability, distinct degradability, high DOX-loading efficiency and controllable DOX release as well as anti-cancer functions. These unique characteristics suggest that the obtained MBG nanospheres may be used for the therapy of bone cancer.