The inhibition of lamellar hydroxyapatite and lamellar magnetic hydroxyapatite on the migration and adhesion of breast cancer cells.

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles have been reported to exhibit potent anti-tumor effects in some cancer cells. In our previous study, we have successfully synthesized two types of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, laminated hydroxyapatite (L-HAp) and laminated magnetic hydroxyapatite (LM-HAp). In this study, we wanted to investigate the effects of L-HAp and LM-HAp with various concentrations on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Cell proliferation was assessed with a MTT colorimetric assay. Scratch and adhesion assays were used to detect the effects of these two materials on migration and adhesion. The expressions of integrin ß1 and Akt were measured by Western blotting. Our results showed that L-HAp and LM-HAp had little cell cytotoxicity and significantly reduced cell mobility and adhesion. LM-HAp showed greater inhibitor ability on migration and adhesion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, results from western blotting showed that L-HAp and LM-HAp impacted the phosphorylation of integrin ß1, but showed no regular impact on Akt. This study suggests that L-HAp and LM-HAp may be potential anti-tumor and delivery system for breast cancer therapy.

Mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of nanoplate-like hydroxyapatite/polylactide nanocomposites prepared by intercalation technique.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) in the forms of fiber, needle, and whisker has been employed as fillers in polymer composites. Herein, nanoplate-like HAp synthesized by template-assisted self-assembly was used to reinforce polylactide (PLA) nanocomposites via the solution intercalation method. Dynamic and static mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of the as-prepared HAp/PLA nanocomposites were assessed in addition to characterizations by XRD, FTIR, and TGA. XRD analysis confirms the formation of exfoliated structure in the HAp/PLA nanocomposites. The HAp/PLA nanocomposites exhibit better static and dynamic mechanical properties than unreinforced PLA. Furthermore, the HAp/PLA nanocomposite with an optimum HAp content of 20wt% (20HAp/PLA) demonstrates not only the best mechanical performance but also the highest thermal stability among the nanocomposite samples. Cell studies using a mouse fibroblast cell line (L929) suggest that 20HAp/PLA shows excellent biocompatibility, which makes it a promising material for biomedical applications.