Selective cytotoxicity of copper-coated magnesium composite on human hepatoma carcinoma cells : a preliminary investigation

Abstract

Abstract A copper-coated magnesium (Cu@Mg) composite has been prepared by electroless plating, with the aim of generating a novel antitumor agent. The cytotoxic effects in vitro of this composite on normal hepatocyte cells (L02) and hepatoma cells (97H) were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Extract and direct contact tests were conducted with blank groups as the control. Moreover, cell adhesion test was performed with 316L medical stainless steel as the cell carrier. It was found that Cu@Mg composite showed obvious cytotoxic effects on 97H cells but acceptable cytocompatibility whit L02 cells. As illustrated by CCK-8 assay, the cytotoxicity of Cu@Mg on 97H and L02 cells were grade I and III, respectively, and more apoptosis occurred to 97H cells than to L02 cells. During direct contact test, much more pathological reactions such as rounding, shrinking, atrophic edges and clustering were found in 97H cells than those in L02 cells. Similar evidence was shown in the adhesion tests. According to the single-factor cytotoxicity evaluation of pH, Cu2+ and Mg2+, the selective cytotoxicity of Cu@Mg on 97H cells is attributed to the fast release of Cu2+ and OH−, resulting from the degradation of Cu@Mg in the culture medium, but the Mg2+ released in the same process shows no toxicity on the both cells. Therefore, it is promising to develop novel antitumor materials on liver cancers with good biocompatibility based on Cu@Mg composite.