Artesunate inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in human osteosarcoma HOS cell line in vitro and in vivo

This paper aims to investigate the effects of artesunate (ART) on growth and apoptosis in human osteosarcoma HOS cell line in vitro and in vivo and to explore the possible underlying mechanisms.Cell viability was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.The induction of apoptosis was detected by light and transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry.Western blot analysis was used to investigate the related mechanisms.Nude mice were further employed to investigate the antitumour activity of ART in vivo.MTT assay results demonstrated that ART selectively inhibits the growth of HOS cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner.Based on the findings of light and transmission electron microscopy,Hoechst 33258 staining,and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-annexin V staining,the cytotoxicity of ART in HOS cells occurs through apoptosis.With ART treatment,cytosolic cytochrome c was increased,Bax expression was gradually upregulated,Bcl-2 expression was downregulated,and caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated.Thus,the intrinsic apoptotic pathway may be involved in ART-induced apoptosis.Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry indicated that ART may induce cell cycle arrest at G2 /M phase.In nude mice bearing HOS xenograft tumours,ART inhibited tumour growth and regulated the expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and survivin,in agreement with in vitro observations.ART has a selective antitumour activity against human osteosarcoma HOS cells,which may be related to its effects on induction of apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway.The results suggest that ART is a promising candidate for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

How to Fill the Cavity after Curettage of Giant Cell Tumors around the Knee？ A Multicenter Analysis

Background： Intralesional excision with curettage is the standard method of giant cell tumor （GCT） treatment, but the ideal filling material after curettage remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the oncological and functional outcomes which underwent cementation or bone grafting after GCT curettage around the knee. Methods： We reported 136 cases with GCTs in distal femur or proximal tibia who accepted curettage from five clinical centers during the last 15 years. All patients were divided into two groups according to filling materials. Recurrence-free survival proportions were used to evaluate oncological outcomes while the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society （MSTS） 93 functional score was used to evaluate functional outcomes. Other parameters including surgical complication, general condition, and radiological classification had been analyzed. The valid statisitical data was analyzed using SPSS 13.0 software. Results： After GCT curettage, 86 patients （63.2%） accepted bone grafting while 50 patients （36.8%） accepted cementation. There was no statistical difference in age, gender, tumor location, radiological classification, fixation, follow-up time, and MSTS 93 functional score between cementation group and bone grafting group. The recurrence-free survival proportions showed that the recurrence rate in bone grafting group was higher than it in cementation group （P = 0.034）. Surgical complication was lower in cementation group than that in bone grafting group but without statistically significant difference （P = 0.141）. Conclusions： Parameters including patients＆#39;age, gender, tumor location, and radiological classification did not affect surgeons＆#39;treatments in cavity filling after GCT curettage. Cementation should be recommended because of easy usage, the similar postoperative knee function with bone grafting, and the better local tumor control than bone grafting.