Xonotlite Nanowire-Containing Bioactive Scaffolds for the Therapy of Defective Adipose Tissue in Breast Cancer.

Abstract

Considering the challenge in the treatment of severe breast tumor patients, xonotlite nanowire-containing bioactive scaffolds (Fe₃O₄-CS-GelMA) were fabricated by the 3D-printing technique for the therapy of injured adipose tissue after surgery. Importantly, benefiting from the excellent magnetothermal performance of Fe₃O₄ microspheres, Fe₃O₄-CS-GelMA scaffolds could effectively kill tumor cells <i>in vitro</i> and suppress breast cancer <i>in vivo</i> under an alternating magnetic field, and the tumor did not recur in 2 weeks. In addition, attributed to the released bioactive inorganic ions, Fe₃O₄-CS-GelMA composite scaffolds could effectively promote the expression of adipogenesis-related genes and proteins of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) via the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway <i>in vitro</i>. Furthermore, Fe₃O₄-CS-GelMA scaffolds with ADSCs could obviously stimulate the formation of adipose <i>in vivo</i>, compared with that of pure GelMA without inorganic components. Therefore, this study offers a promising strategy for the therapy of breast tumors after the surgical excision of breast carcinoma.