Evaluation of the biocompatibility, antibacterial and anticancer effects of a novel nano-structured Fe-Mn-based biodegradable alloys in-vitro study

Samir Ali Elborolosy; Lamis Ahmed Hussein; Hamada Mahran; Hany R Ammar; S Sivasankaran; Safa Fathy Abd El-Ghani; Mohamed Yehia Abdelfattah; Ahmed Wael Abou-Zeid; Shereen Hafez Ibrahim; Mohamed Mostafa Elshamaa

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20932

Evaluation of the biocompatibility, antibacterial and anticancer effects of a novel nano-structured Fe-Mn-based biodegradable alloys in-vitro study

Heliyon. 2023 Oct 14;9(11):e20932. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20932. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Affiliations

¹ Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
² Dental Biomaterials, Department of Removable Prosthetics, Faculty of Dentistry, Misr International University, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Maxillofacial Surgery, General Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.
⁴ College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department, Qassim University, Buraidah, 51452, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁶ Oral Pathology Department, School of Dentistry, Newgiza University, Egypt.
⁷ Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
⁸ Department of Basic Dental Science, National Research Centre, Egypt.
⁹ Oral Biology Department, School of Dentistry, Newgiza University, Egypt.
¹⁰ Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Scientific backgrounds: Development of nanostructured biodegradable alloys has generated a great deal of interest in the recent years as they offer promising bioactive materials for reconstruction of bony defects following traumatic fractures or surgical excision of tumors.

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to investigate the biocompatibility of Iron-Manganese -based alloys (Fe-Mn) with addition of copper (Cu), Tungsten (W) and cobalt (Co) to obtain 3 different alloys namely, Fe-Mn-Cu, Fe-Mn-W, and Fe-Mn-Co on normal oral epithelial cell line,and their possible anticancer effect on MG-63: osteosarcoma cell line.

Materials and methods: The sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay was used to assess cell viability percentage of both cell lines after exposure to discs of the proposed experimental alloys. Moreover, the antibacterial effect of such alloys against Escherichia coli (E. coli) was tested using disc diffusion susceptibility (Kirby-Bauer method) and colony suspension method.

Results: The cell viability percentage of oral epithelial cell line showed a significant increase in all the experimental groups in comparison to the control group. The highest percentage was observed in Fe-Mn-Co group, followed by Fe-Mn-W then Fe-Mn-Cu, at 24 and 72-h intervals, respectively. While the cell viability percentage of osteosarcoma cell line showed significant increase in all the experimental groups at 24-h intervals, it showed a significant drop in all the study groups at 72-h intervals. The lowest percentage was observed in Fe-Mn-Cu group, followed by Fe-Mn-W then Fe-Mn-Co. Moreover, all the examined study groups didn't show any inhibition zones against E. coli reference culture.

Conclusions: The novel nanostructured biodegradable Fe-Mn-Cu, Fe-Mn-W, and Fe-Mn-Co metal alloys exhibit good biocompatibility on oral epithelial cell lines with the enhancement of cell proliferation in a time-dependent manner that favors bone regeneration. On the other hand, all the alloys manifested possible anticancer activity against MG-63: osteosarcoma cell line. Furthermore, our study sheds the light on the importance of Co, W and Cu as promising alloying elements. However, the antibacterial activity of the examined alloys is still questionable.

Clinical relevance: The novel nanostructured biodegradable Fe-Mn-Cu, Fe-Mn-W, and Fe-Mn-Co metal alloys offer promising bioactive materials for reconstruction of bony defects following traumatic fractures or surgical excision of tumors, In addition, they could be excellent alternatives for undegradable or non-resorbable alloys that are commonly used. Moreover, they could be used as beneficial 3D printing materials to obtain patient-specific medical implants that favor bone regeneration in addition to manufacturing of plates and screws suitable for fracture fixation.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity; Anticancer effect; Biocompatibility; Biodegradable alloys; Bone regeneration; In-vitro study; Novel nanostructured Fe–Mn.